Remnant-27 (AU)
by Sword27
Summary: As a new school year starts in Beacon Academy, darkness looms over all. With only their training, skills, knowledge and bonds to rely on, the newly assimilated first year students of Beacon Academy are forced to fight for everything that they have known and loved. But whether they succeed or fail is still up for debate. (Discontinued)(Will continue or rewrite in the future)
1. Author's Note

**Author's Note**

Good day/evening readers. This story has been originally published on October 12, 2017 just before RWBY Volume 5 was launched. It was supposed to commemorate the launch but due to some crazy and random circumstances, the original Prologue and Chapter 1 has been unfortunately lost as the war between man and Grimm progressed. As such I have devised a new set of chapters and mostly, a new story line. I'll still post the original prologue if ever I am fortunate enough to recover the file from my corrupted computer but until then, here's what I have come up so far. Hope you enjoy.

P.S. For the readers of my other fanfiction centered in the Warhammer 40k universe, I'll still be posting at least four or five chapters by December 1. I am unable to meet my quota of ten chapters solely due to my real life responsibilities (e.g. College entrance exams). However, I'll still try to cram it up as I have at least a month or so to do it.


	2. Chapter 1: Jaune Arc

Chapter 1

Jaune Arc

 _Flames, smoke and the scent of burning flesh. The screams of pain, despair and fear. He watched helplessly as everyone he knew and loved were cut down to pieces. His hand tried to reach out to his youngest sister but just as she was within arm's reach, a Beowolf snatched her and once again, he was forced to watch as it mercilessly tore the young girl to shreds. Her screams melded with several others as his was forced to gaze at the endless cycle of death._

 _His azure blue eyes widened with horror as he witnessed a pair of Ursa slowly devour his mother who tried to defend his two other younger sisters. Her bronze sword clanged as it hit the ground followed by grunts of pain then silence. His father hefted his broadsword only to for his head to be crushed by a Beringel, his blonde hair melted with the red and white of his flesh and skull. His four older sisters were in a tight circle, axes, spears, rifles and pistols all drawn and stained with the Grimm's black blood. They fought but all fell as the numbers overwhelmed them._

 _He struggled to break free, to save those that he had cared and to stop the madness. But to no avail. Stars fell on his cheeks as he felt his mind slowly descend into madness. He screamed, threatened and pleaded whatever unseen force that held him._

 _"_ _Fear not young knight." A sinister voice told him._

 _"_ _Such tragedy shall not befall you if you pledge your allegiance to me." Something began to materialize in front of him._

 _It didn't take long for the terrified and angered knight to come face to face with a pale skinned being. Her hair was as white as the bones of the Grimm and her eyes were as red as the blood that had spilled before him. Red and purple veins stretched on the edges of her features and along her arms. The black and red robe that she wore fluttered as she slowly strode towards him. But what terrified him most was not of her clothing or her deathly complexion, it was her eyes. As red as the surrounding area was, black pupils, as dark as the Grimm itself bore onto his blue eyes._

 _"_ _I shall give you power, fame, glory and treasures amongst many other things." Her hand caressed his tear stained cheeks._

 _The young warrior tried to back away but the stubborn grip planted him firmly onto the ground. He watched as the diamond on her forehead glowed faintly. He squirmed to liberate himself from the unnerving touch of the being. He felt something stir within him, something dark, a thing that he had not known that existed within him. The being smiled warmly as she cupped his cheeks._

 _"_ _As such, be mine knight."_

Jaune's eyes snapped open at the sound of his scroll's alarm. His hand darted on the bedside table as to where it lay and silenced the pestering noise. He closed his eyes and rested his hands on his sheets, scroll still in hand. Droplets of sweat collected on his forehead which he wiped away with his free hand.

"Damn it, not again." He muttered as he controlled his labored breathing.

Just as his heart was slowly returning to its normal rhythm, he felt his stomach churn as he was temporarily sent onto the air only to crash back onto his bunk bed. Jaune cupped his mouth, discarding the scroll onto his bed and rushed to the bathroom of his assigned quarters. He slammed his shoulders onto the mahogany door and quickly knelt in front of the pristine white throne. His head hanged low as his nearly digested dinner was released as if it was water from an overflowing dam. He hugged the toiled as if it was the girl of his dreams, his hands trembled yet firmly gripped the rim.

"Stupid mo-" His annoyed monologue was disrupted as another wave reminded where the toilet was.

After much gagging, whizzing and grunting, Jaune Arc walked out of the small bathroom accompanied by the flush of the throne. He nursed his burnt throat as his wobbly feet led him to his bed. His head still circled as he slowly remembered where he was and what he was doing. He fell back on his bed and stared blankly onto the tortoise colored ceiling with bronze linings on its edges. A look on the windows beside his bed confirmed his memories.

"That's right. I was accepted into Beacon Academy."

Jaune sighed and slowly sat back up, careful not to rekindle the flames of his pesky condition. His mind began to wander to his most recent nightmare. He had such nightmares since he was a child, a fact that he had hidden from his family and his main reason for training to become a huntsman. He had not had such twisted dreams since he had killed his first Grim, a Boarbatusk. But for some reason, an attack occurred just as he was on his way to Beacon Academy.

"Today of all days." He silently mumbled as his instincts screamed something bad was about to happen.

"Hope they are all safe." He mumbled hopeful that his entire family and village were safe.

The only male Arc shrugged the thought out of his mind and moved to get dressed for the day. He swapped his blue shirt and boxers for his usual pants and black hoodie along with a pair of white snickers. He fluidly wore the little armor that fit him, a simple chest plate that also protected his back along with a pair of simple shoulder guards. All were white with edges of grey. He donned the brown leather gloves that protected his hands and much of his arms. After fixing his bedhead, he clipped Crocea Mors on his waist.

"Alright, time to impress." Jaune moved to exit the room.

Thanks to his training, he was able to suppress the urge to hurl what little remains of his last meal. But at the cost that he must not move around that much and that he has to pass on breakfast to avoid stoking the wild flame in his stomach. He sat by the window, cross-legged on the floor as he silently meditated to avoid repeating a shameful history.

In the middle of his forced meditation, the news broadcast was switched to that of a holographic projection of a blonde woman. She wore a white long-sleeved, pleated top that has a wide keyhole neckline and gauntlet cuffs that flare in pleats at the wrist. She had a black high-waist pencil skirt with bronze buttons and a violet cape that hung behind her. Her light blonde hair was tied to a bun but had a curl dangling on the right side of her face. Her emerald green eyes spoke of confidence and experience behind her thin eyeglasses.

"Hello, and welcome to Beacon." The projection announced which was broadcasted throughout the ships heading to the academy.

"My name is Glynda Goodwitch." Jaune noticed the rather unorthodox clothing that the woman had.

He had often thought why he was that knowledgeable in terms of clothing only to be struck by a dreadful memory. The specific memory of being forced to chaperone his sisters through their shopping struck him. He shuddered at the thought, he had once provoked his oldest sister when she asked for his opinion with her choice of clothes. Since then, he made it a point to learn as much as he can about fashion to avoid another brutal fate as he had narrowly escaped.

"You are among the privileged few who have received the honor of being selected to attend this prestigious academy." She continued.

"Our world is experiencing an incredible time of peace, and as future huntsmen and huntresses, it is your duty to uphold it. You have demonstrated the courage needed for such a task, now it is our turn to provide you with the knowledge and the training to protect our world." The projection faded followed by gasps.

Jaune looked behind him, slowly so that not to disturb his own being. He saw what he could only describe as a castle sitting near a cliff. He could see large towers and the main campus, an amphitheater and the docks where several other airships have already unloaded its passengers.

"I guess home is not too far after all." Jaune's head swiveled only to be greeted by a pair of girls staring into the distant academy.

A blonde with a body that most boys of his age, if not all would die for stood beside him. Her purple eyes transfixed with the view before them. Her clothes mainly consisted of yellow and brown which complimented her hair. Her companion however had a red cloak that stood out in a crowd even with the diversity of colors in clothing.

"Beacon is our home now." The blonde of the pair told her much smaller companion.

Jaune noted that the smaller girl's hair chopped hair witch gradated to dark red at the tips from the black roots. But what caught his attention were her silver eyes. For some reason, he felt as if she was a bit too young to attend Beacon but suppressed the urge to ask as he concentrated back to his own dilemma. The blonde knight felt his stomach churn once more as the airship encountered a slight turbulence.

 _This is going to be one heck of an experience._ He thought to himself as his instincts called out to him along with his rising motion sickness.


	3. Chapter 2: The Shining Beacon

Chapter 2

The Shining Beacon

Jaune Arc dismounted his assigned airship along with several other soon-to-be students of the prestigious Beacon Academy. The very academy that resounded throughout the kingdom of Vale and was one of the four renowned academies in the whole of Remnant tasked with training huntsmen and huntresses. He breathed in the fresh air, thankful that he was finally able to purge the recycled cold air that circulated within the airship. He watched his fellow students pull out their luggage, some travelled light much as he as denoted by their backpacks or side bags. Others had one or two suitcases but what caught his attention was a white haired girl accompanied by a staff of the airship and what seemed to be a couple of suitcases amongst several other luggage.

 _Talk about rich kids._ Jaune thought as he walked on the platform situated by the edge of a cliff.

He was greeted by what he could only describe as a large estate. Several towers loomed over the new students as they walked on pristine pavements. Concrete arches surrounded a circular structure on the middle and a much taller tower by the end of the path. He was at loss for words, there were no such structures in their village or even anywhere near them, it was as if he now stood in front of one of the castles described to him by his deceased grandfather. Jaune was pulled from his enchantment with a slight rumble on the ground and a distant sound of explosion. His head swiveled only to see that the white haired girl that he had seen just moments ago was berating the same girl in a red cloak that stood beside him as he meditated.

"Hey look, it's Weiss Schnee." A fellow new student whispered to her companion.

"So the rumors were true, why did she choose to attend Beacon instead of the Atlas Academy?" The brunet companion replied as she pulled her bag.

"Beats me, maybe because of that time…" Jaune failed to continue on eavesdropping as the pair of girls was quickly swallowed by the crowd.

The blonde slowed his pace and tried to search for the girl in the red cloak. He stopped dead on his tracks as he saw the lone figure, her head hanged low as she walked to some unknown destination. He forced his head forwards in a desperate attempt to ignore the girl.

 _Not my problem. Remember why you're here Jaune._

But alas, despite of his silent words, his feet carried him behind the red girl. He sighed as he neared her, he made a mental note to try and change his rather soft nature. He watched with a certain amount of surprise and curiosity as the cloaked student lied on the ground. He wondered as to why she was garbed in such dark colors of black and red but the thought was quickly disregarded.

Jaune argued with himself whether or not it was wise to approach her but the sudden realization that he was alone in an unfamiliar environment sealed the deal.

"Hey," He called out while he offered his hand.

"I'm Jaune." The gesture was accepted and he pulled her to her feet.

"Ruby." She replied as she dusted herself.

Jaune looked at her with interest. She had pale complexion, an odd mix of red and black for her hair but what took his attention were her…

"Silver eyes." He mumbled unconsciously as an old memory was struck deep within his mind.

"Umm…I was told that it was rare but I did not expect it to be that 'rare'." She told him.

"Oh…uhhh...sorry, I just kind of remembered something that my mother told…never mind." He immediately backed off as he was not too keen on sharing a tale passed down within the Arc family to a complete stranger.

He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

 _Way to go Arc, now you just made a helluva first impression on her._

"Sooo…new to the school?" Her cheery voice announced that her prior melancholic atmosphere was dispelled.

"Yeah, and you?" He returned the question as he beckoned for her to follow him.

"Same, I arrived with my sister but…" Her voice trailed off followed by a slight smile on her features.

"Let me guess, she ran with her own friends and left you alone?" His assumptions were confirmed with a nod.

"I feel you, happens to me all the time." Jaune told her as they neared the main path where several other students were walking towards the main building.

"You have a sister?"

"Sisters, seven to be exact." The look of utter shock on Ruby's face made him chuckle.

"Yep, mom and dad were a bit too energetic at times." He smiled.

With much amusement, he watched as Ruby's face became as red as her cloak.

"Oh…uhh…anyways where are you from?" Jaune saw her desperate attempt to change the topic and he obliged.

"I came from a village called Camelot just by the boundary of Minstral and Vale. And you?" He replied as the pair unconsciously rounded a turn in the path.

The change of directions effectively secluded both of them from the rest of the freshmen population.

"I live in the western end of Vale." Ruby answered back.

"By the way, where's your stuff?" Jaune pointed at his back where he carried a large brown backpack.

"The staff said that they will deliver mine and my sister's belongings to where we will be staying for tonight."

The blonde knight gave a long realizing 'aaahhh' as he wondered why he had not done the same.

The two newfound friends were lost in their conversation to notice the lack of students nearby. They conversed about a wide range of topics but mostly concerning on how they were accepted into Beacon. Jaune was impressed with how she single handedly stopped a dust store robbery. They walked on a circular path, a massive fountain on their right and several arches surrounded them. Trees and bushes were systematically placed at the side of the pavement.

"All I'm saying is that motion sickness is a much more common problem than people let on." Jaune explained while maintaining a dignified voice.

The conversation quickly morphed to their experience during the overnight travel to Beacon.

"Look I'm sorry, vomit boy was the first thing that came to mind." Ruby attempted to diffuse the triggered Jaune.

"Oh yeah? What about if I called you crater face?" The knight fired an insult in retaliation, his voice was laced with a tinge of annoyance.

"Hey that explosion was an accident." His companion claimed in her defence.

"Well the name's Jaune Arc. Short and sweet, rolls off the tongue, ladies love it." He jokingly announced accompanied by stretching his arms.

Ruby chuckled. "Do they?"

"Nah, never tried it. I was too occupied with training with dad and my older sisters and all." Jaune rubbed the back of his head as he was suddenly struck by his sheer lack of experience in the said field.

The sweet and innocent laughter once again filled his ears followed by an awkward silence as they continued to walk on the path.

"Sooo…" Jaune cocked an eyebrow in Ruby's direction.

"I got this thing."

He backed away as she revealed a red and dangerously looking scythe. It transformed from its compact size to the fully extended weapon. He stared both fearfully and admiringly at the pristine sharp blades and couldn't help but whistle in admiration.

"Is that a scythe?" He asked even though he already knew that it was.

"It's also a customizable high impact sniper rifle." Jaune watched with awe as the enormous scythe transformed into a scoped rifle.

"I also designed this by the way."

"Wow." He simply mumbled as he looked at his companion under a new light.

 _Wait…where did that scope came from?_ Jaune wondered but decided not to ask in fear that he would be pulled into Ruby's fascination with weapons.

He snapped back to reality from his wild imagination involving him listening to ruby's explanation about her weapon when she cleared her throat. He looked at her curiously, a tinge of pink in her white complexion.

 _Crap._ He realized as to why with the sudden awkwardness.

"Uhh…sorry, kind of spaced out back there. I just remembered my dad's old friend who also wields a scythe."

As if to serve as his saving grace from ruining his first bond, the memory of the almost constant drunk resurfaced from his mind.

Ruby nodded understandingly before adding a rather hopeful and cheerful question. "What's his name?"

"Hmm?" Jaune looked at her once again.

"Your dad's friend who is also a scythe wielder…" Her silver eyes glimmered as she pressed her body uncomfortably closer to him.

"Who is he?"

"Qrow Branwen." He hastily replied and backed away, suppressing a sudden blush in his features.

 _Too close for comfort, too close for comfort._

Jaune looked at her wide grin that spread across her features.

"That's my Uncle Qrow!" She announced jubilantly.

"Wait what?" Jaune looked at the still grinning girl dumbfounded.

"That's my Uncle Qrow! So I guess this means that we should be friends."

Jaune tilted his head in feigned confusion. "But I thought we are friends."

The two laughed as they walked side by side. But as silence regained its hold on them, a stray thought entered Jaune's mind.

 _Wait…where are we? Where are we going?_

"So what about your weapon?" Ruby inquired, looking intently at his scabbard.

"Oh this?" He began to unsheathe Crocea Mors, exposing its blade to the touch of the sun.

He then pulled out the scabbard and extended it to its shield form.

"It's a family heirloom that I had to work hard to be worthy to wield. Our family is rather too traditional and some of it may or may not have clung to me thus the lack of a personalized weapon such as yours." He explained.

"It was used by my great grandfather during the war and was passed since to every male of the Arc family."

Ruby whistled as she examined the sword. "Well I like it, not many people appreciate the classic these days."

Jaune smiled as it seemed that he had found someone that would not look down on him due to his weapon of choice. He returned the shield to its scabbard form and sheathed Crocea Mors.

"So why did you help me back there, in the courtyard?" Ruby asked, her eyes bore onto Jaune's being.

"Meh, why not? My mom always says, strangers are just friends you haven't met yet."

"Hmm…where are we going?" The same question that earlier popped in Jaune's mind was released from her mouth.

"Ummm…I don't know. I was following you." He looked at her then to their surroundings.

He noticed the lack of any nearby student to guide them or any form of directory.

"Great…backtrack time." He announced as he turned a hundred eighty degrees and took Ruby's hand back to where they came from.


	4. Chapter 3: The Shining Beacon Pt2

Chapter 3

The Shining Beacon Pt.2

"Hurry up Jaune!" Ruby called back to him as the knight struggled to keep up.

"For…Oum's…sake Ruby! I was meant to soak up damage not to be a high mobility attack unit!" Jaune screamed as he felt his legs burn.

The pair ended up lost due to their own incapability to keep track of where they were going while holding a conversation. Thus when Jaune decided to backtrack and to lead the way, it only made things worse. If it weren't for a bunny eared faunus whom they chanced upon, they would still be circling around the campus. With much effort, the pair finally found themselves in front of the amphitheater. Both took a moment to catch their breaths and to compose themselves, after which, the ripper and the knight walked towards the opened doors.

They were greeted by a buzz of conversations from the freshmen of Beacon Academy. Grey walls and beautifully carved archways could be seen, several seats were placed on the sides that were slightly elevated from the center where the students stood. A stage in front of them with a grandiose design at the background and a large overhead glass ceiling above them, only to be partially blocked by the support beams. Jaune looked at Ruby and saw that she seemed to be searching for someone as she tiptoed to see into the crowd. Before he could ask thought, a rather cheery voice called out to her.

"Ruby! Over here!" Both looked to see the blonde waving at Ruby.

 _So that's Ruby's sister, Yang if I remember correctly._ Jaune took note of the large difference between them.

So far as he could tell, there was absolutely zero resemblance to indicate that the two were biological siblings. But he chose the wise decision and just held it in, knowing that it would be bad to ask of such things unless if the person in question told him personally. In contrast to Ruby's black and red clothing, Yang had an overall yellow, brown and orange color scheme going on.

But her choice of clothing, specifically the top where the lack of fabric showed her bare lower abdomen raised the knight's brow. But it was mostly due to his more traditional outlook at things and as such at clothing.

"I saved you a spot!" Yang added.

"Oh, hey I-I got to go. See you after the ceremony." Jaune watched as Ruby ran to where her sister was.

He sighed as his only companion as of the moment weaved through the crowd.

"Great. Where am I supposed to find a nice quirky girl to talk to." The blonde knight mumbled to himself as he walked to find a good spot to settle in.

As he maneuvered through the crowd of students, he accidentally bumped into a redhead. Her bronze circlet shimmered as she was slightly pushed out of the dark and into the light. Her small gasp of surprise was silenced by the conversation being thrown out all over the room.

"Sorry." Jaune mumbled to the girl as he moved to silently isolate himself from all the chaos, not even looking at the pair of emerald green eyes staring at him.

He chose his location, not too far from where the sisters were. He glanced at them and saw that the heiress of the Schnee Dust Company was once again berating Ruby. Yang stood beside the poor soul, calmly listening to the exchange. Jaune silently wished his friend the best but at the same time, readied himself to intervene if ever comes a need to do so.

"Yeah, great idea sis." Ruby's voice seemed to magically cut through the noise and reached the blonde knight.

He watched from his peripheral vision, not daring to look directly in fear of imposing a rather bad and creepy impression.

"Hello Weiss, I'm Ruby. Wanna hang out?' We could go shopping for school supplies." Jaune silently listened, straining his ear for any indication to intervene.

He knows the reputation of the Schnees and as far as he know, it wasn't a good one.

"Yeah! And we could paint our nails and try on clothes…" The obvious sarcastic response of the Schnee ringed in his ears.

 _Yep, not the best people to hang with._ He silently commented.

"and talk about cute boys like tall, blonde and…" For some reason, Jaune noticed that Weiss's voice trailed off.

His head turned to look at the tree only to find the heiress's light blue eyes stare onto him. Jaune failed to hear what she last said but he knew that she most definitely had said something shown by the faint movement of her lips. Trying not to be rude, he gave a smile towards the group and returned his attention to the stage where a man with a cane was on the microphone flanked by the same woman that he had seen in the airship broadcast.

"I'll…keep this brief." The man in a black suit started.

"You have traveled here today in search of knowledge—to hone your craft and acquire new skills." Jaune was impressed with the professionalism and warm voice that the man had, who he assumed to be the Headmaster Ozpin.

"And when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But…" His tone suddenly changed which prompted a few raised brows amongst the students including Jaune's.

"I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose – direction." The knight nodded in agreement even though he already has his own purpose.

He wasn't sure but it was as if he sensed bitterness and hope within his voice.

"You assume that knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step."

Ozpin stepped away from the microphone and calmly strode to exit the stage. He was then replaced by Glynda Goodwitch with the same confident and professional tone. She explained that all were to gather at the great hall where all freshmen students were to settle in for the night. She also added that the initiation would be held the next day and that all must be prepared. Jaune could've sworn that he heard several murmurs of relief when the golden haired woman said the magical words.

"You are dismissed."

Jaune maintained his gaze onto the individual in question. His gut told him that something was about to happen at the initiation but he was not sure what it was. He just hoped that it does not involve anything that could remove his feet from solid ground even for just a second.

"Hello." He turned to his right only to find the white haired Schnee.

Jaune almost jumped at the sudden appearance of the white garbed girl. Her white hair was tied to an off-center bun tail and with an icicle shaped tiara. She wore a white dress along with a white skirt matched with white boots.

 _Why are these people so obsessed with white?_ Jaune almost face palmed if it weren't for his sheer self-control that he had.

"Yes?" He responded all the while chaining the urge to ask a potentially rude question.

"I wish to be your acquaintance if you don't mind." Jaune looked at the heiress, both confused and surprised.

"But of course. I am Jaune Arc, the only heir to the Arc name." He replied, summoning all of his past experiences in the rare formal occasions that his father forced him to go.

Needless to say, he was not fond of such events but when faced with the persuasive parents and his four older sisters while pointing their weapons at him, there was not much choice to make. He saw Weiss smile but for some reason, it unnerved him rather than encouraged him.

"I am Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company." She fixed a lock of her white hair that fell out of place.

"Though I think you already know who I am."

"Yes, it is rather hard to miss a Schnee amongst this crowd. White tends to stand out at times." Jaune took the chance to look to the pair that watched them as Weiss shifted her weight uncertainly.

Her eyes were casted down as if she was thinking something which gave the blonde knight the opportunity to call for help. But as soon as he made eye contact with Ruby and Yang, the prior merely gave him double thumbs up while the latter smirked at his situation.

 _Oh dear Oum. Please forgive mine transgressions and help me._ Jaune silently prayed as he was quickly losing his wits.

Aside from his sisters and the village female population, he had almost zero experience with girls. Aside from Ruby and now Weiss, he had only conversed with a few of the opposite gender whenever he attended tournaments in other settlements or villages. He hanged by a thread as he exchanged small talk with the obviously rich girl. The fact that he was able to hold a conversation made him thankful that his family had forced him to attend all of those boring formal events.

"And as such why not be partners with me?"

The Arc looked baffled onto the Schnee's eyes. He took note of the scar running vertically on her left eye. It most certainly added some character to the petite Schnee. The richer and darker blue stared questioningly at the much lighter blue. He concluded that he was in a bind. To decline a Schnee was tantamount to a lifetime of misery and torment but just as he was about to say 'yes' begrudgingly, the P.A. system called out to all and every student to proceed to the great hall.

"Well I guess, some other time then. I'll just meet you again tomorrow before the initiation for your answer."

Jaune watched as Weiss exited the amphitheater along with several other students. It was as if her boots had springs as she pierced through the crowd. He allowed a sigh of relief once the heiress was out of sight.

"Nice going there vomit boy." The golden curled hair of Ruby's sister greeted him.

"I'm…not that good with conversing with her sort. Too high-class for me." Yang laughed at the remark of an exhausted knight.

"And what's with the vomit boy? I thought we were done with this?" Jaune narrowed his eyes to the probable perpetrator as she approached.

Ruby came along and formally introduced each other. The two blondes then shared a fist bump. With the introductions well taken care of, Yang proposed for them to hit the cafeteria for a quick meal as emphasized by an unruly grumble that originated from the depths of her being. It elicited a few short laughs but nonetheless, Jaune found himself walking towards the cafeteria as he silently followed the two sisters.


	5. Chapter 4: Downtime

Chapter 4

Downtime

"Hey have you seen that blonde's _loadout_?" A boy snickered as he washed his face.

"Yeah dude, damn I'd kill to be under the sheets with those beauties." His companion replied, a weak grin on his face as he fantasized.

The pair of teens continued their conversation as they prepared for the night. Their attention was fully fixed onto the mirror and on their belongings. But unbeknownst to them, a certain blonde of the same gender looked at their figures sharply. His black shirt rippled as he took heavy breaths and his sweatpants trembled as he jumped up and down in an attempt to release the building tension.

Jaune gritted his teeth as he packed his used clothes in the spare bag that he had just a few spaces away from the two. The sheer outlandish words that came from their mouths stoked the flames within him, not with lust or longing but with anger. He did not relish hearing such remarks especially if it was regarding his newfound companions. He clenched his fists as he tried to control himself.

"And that cute little redhead chick!" The brunet of the pair exclaimed followed by a rather obscene hand gesture.

With the obvious reference to Ruby, Jaune snapped. He had a full mind to pound the two idiots to sleep when a hand grabbed his shoulder. He turned and looked at the fool who tried to stop him. The murder in his eyes lessened a bit as he saw the same stranger that had helped him during an earlier attack of his motion sickness when he first boarded his assigned airship. The burnt orange haired teen shook his head and held up a small recording device. Jaune caught up and nodded. He let out an exasperated sigh and followed him outside.

"You could've been expelled if you trashed those two." The brown haired bear of a teen remarked as wooden door closed.

"I know but I won't let them badmouth my friends." Jaune's brows still crossed as he leaned on the wall beside the door.

"Alright, think of it like this. Sure you trashed them up quite good, maybe a month or so in the hospital but with the expense of you being expelled, what do you think would happen?"

The angered knight slowly realized where his fellow warrior was going.

"Once their out of their beds, those guys would probably start making moves on your friends and what not, might even harass them if they declined. Of course the two could or would retaliate given their combat experience but assume that they are to be defenseless and you were out of the picture, then what?"

Jaune gave into reason and nodded. If he did draw first blood then such possibilities did exist.

"Then what are you suggesting I do?" With that, he found the weight of the voice recorder on his left palm.

He looked at it then to the stranger's indigo eyes then back at the recorder. He clicked the button and the whole conversation was played. His eyes widened at the possible implication.

"I'll lend that to you and I think you already know who to give it to. But I personally prefer to use it as some material for blackmail if you get what I mean." Jaune smirked at the rather underhanded tactic.

"I think I'll use the more legit path."

He stretched his arms in an exaggerated way which made his blue shirt stretch as well. The words 'Brother Bear' printed on it were ever so slightly deformed at the gesture.

"Oh please forgive me for my sins." He groaned sarcastically.

"Jaune Arc." The blonde offered his hand.

"Cardin Winchester." Cardin shook Jaune's hand.

"A Winchester?" Jaune asked, a wide grin on his face as he had found a fellow knight.

"And an Arc?"

Both fist pumped and laughed at the knowledge of a fellow soldier of honor amongst the first year students. Jaune made arrangements to when he would return the device. The two then agreed to have the file backed up for some future use if needed though Jaune was a bit uncertain with using blackmail. Nonetheless, the two knights went on separate paths as they moved to retire for the night.

As walked through the spaces between the rows of sleeping bags, he passed both Ruby and Yang as they chatted. He gave a wave when the pair looked at him which they returned with a smile. Jaune couldn't help but marvel at the chandeliers that hang from above as it was obviously masterfully crafted, he was impressed with the amount of details put into the golden light holders. He reached his spot without any incident and was grateful for such. He stretched his muscles in preparation for a good night sleep when a certain white haired heiress appeared out of nowhere.

"Hello Jaune." He looked behind him and almost gaped at what he saw.

Weiss had a white nightgown and her hair was free from the clutches of her pin. Basing on appearances, he was surprised at how much she could change with a simple switch of clothing.

"Hi snow angel." He mumbled mostly to himself but was loud enough for the girl in question to hear.

He watched as pink streaks played across her fair white skin. Jaune's eyes widened as he realized what he had just said. And along with it, the possible implications of his actions, instantly, visions of suffering and torment in the hands of the Schnee patriarch flashed before him.

 _Oh dear Oum. Bad Jaune! Bad! Fix this before papa Schnee cuts off your future._

"Oh…uhh…hi Weiss, what can I do for you?" He asked in an attempt to cover his mistake.

"I just want to talk about my earlier proposition seeing that we have the time to discuss it now rather than tomorrow." Her tone was stoic and cold but her features betrayed her.

Jaune noted how the slight pink slowly turned darker and darker as time progressed. Surprisingly, the knight who had little regard for the Schnees due to their reputation found it rather…

 _Cute._

"Yeah sure, why not." He replied as nonchalantly as he could

"Alright so is it a yes or a no?" Her eyes sparkled as he met her eyes.

 _Oh for the love of all thing's holy._ Jaune thought as he felt his heart skipped a bit.

"I guess I'll-" He was cutoff when a red blur blocked his view of Weiss.

"Weisscanyoucomewithmeforasecond?Thanks!"

As fast as he, she or it came, whatever it was, quickly vanished towards the general direction of the women's bathroom with Weiss in tow despite her protests.

"Uhh…what was that?" He asked both himself and the five individuals looking at him, three approaching him in the front and another two on his right.

 _Not Ruby obviously._ He thought as he stared critically at the ripper in front of him.

"Hey knight and shining armor go get your princess, didn't you see that the dragon took her?" Yang teased as she grinned at him.

"I swear, Yang. If you ever da-" Jaune raised a finger to emphasize his point but…

"I call White Knight!" Yang's cheery statement ultimately obliterated his point and thus he was left with a limp finger halfway between the two blondes.

Jaune noticed the new addition to the group and looked at Ruby for an answer.

"Oh yeah." Ruby half dragged half guided the black haired girl towards him.

"Jaune, meet Blake and Blake, meet Jaune." Ruby introduced the pair.

"Hey." She raised her hand limply as she held on a rather interesting book.

"Nice to meet you and you have some interesting tastes for books." Both Ruby and Yang looked at the book that she carried with much curiosity.

Even though it was hard to spot due to the way she was holding it, he saw enough parts of letters to know the title of the book. She slowly moved her hands to her back to cover the book as she looked at him sternly.

 _Ninjas of Love, huh? A tad bit too romantic for me._ He thought as he internally shrugged.

Ruby yawned which prompted Yang to slowly but surely drag her sister away which prompted Blake to follow them. The three gave a simultaneous 'good night' which he thoughtfully returned. As Jaune watched the three returned to their own respective sleeping bags, he noticed movement on Blake's head, specifically her bow. He rubbed his eyes and looked again, narrowing his eyes but saw nothing out of the norm.

 _The old scopes must need some sleep I guess._

"Ooooh I smell something cooking over here." Jaune looked beside him and saw two fellow students sitting on their sleeping bags.

A girl with a short orange hair grinned at him in a manner similar to Yang while her black haired companion simply looked at him.

"And I like it." She added.

Jaune replied a simple 'uhuh' for the sake of answering her remark even though he was pretty sure that no one was cooking nearby.

"Sorry about her, she's just a bit too energetic for her own good." The boy beside him spoke.

"Nah it's cool." He said as he sat down on his own bag.

 _Plus I'm pretty sure that your friend is just hungry._ He mentally added.

"Lie Ren, but call me Ren."

"Jaune Arc and you can just call me Jaune." The two was about to shake hands when a certain bubbly individual sat between the two young men.

"And I'm Nora Valkyrie. And if you ever call me Val I'll break your legs."

Her cheery voice matched with her sudden threat didn't settle that well with the young knight. He smiled and nodded thinking that it was just a joke but as he looked at the sudden serious look that Nora gave him and the mask of resignation that Ren wore, he was forced to rethink his life choices.

"I'll…uhh…keep that in mind."

Nora smiled warmly and scooted towards her own post, effectively ruining Ren's own space. Ren clasped his shoulder and told him and a low tone something that chilled his spine.

"It is wise that you chose not to." He then pointed to a buffy kid who was obviously in pain as medical staff carried him away in a stretcher.

Jaune gulped, horrified on how close he had thread to losing his still yet to begin career as a huntsman.

"Yeah…a wise decision." He mumbled as he allowed himself to flop onto his partially comfortable bag.

He felt his eyes become heavy and it didn't take long for him to leave the waking world.


	6. Chapter 5: The Creeper

Chapter 5

The Creeper

Jaune woke up to the sound of the chirps of local birdlife. It was still dark but from the window adjacent to him, he could see the slow advance of gold through the land. His hand crept towards his pack and opened a small compartment situated on the left side. Without problems, he was able to produce his scroll and clicked it open. It was a handy device, able to track how much an individual's current aura was amongst many other uses. He saw that it was just around four in the morning.

 _Perfect._ He thought as he rose from his slumber.

Gathering a fresh change of clothes, he stealthily walked towards the men's bathroom. Within a few minutes, he soundlessly returned to his spot and fixed his belongings. Taking a moment to survey his friend's and acquaintance's spots, he was met with mixed levels of disaster. Ruby and Blake barely even rumpled their sleeping bags which were the same for Ren but when it came to Yang and Nora's, he could only imagine the many sleepless nights that their chosen partner would probably have.

 _Oum have mercy on their souls._ He silently offered a prayer to whoever those unfortunate beings were.

He shouldered his pack and as silently as a cat, left the great hall. He was thankful that the large double doors didn't creak when he pushed it apart. Using his scroll as a map, he made his way towards the locker area where their armor and weapons were stored. His sneakers made slight noises ever so often as he walked on the concrete floor, so often that his head twisted and turned to assure that none would catch him sneaking towards the lockers. It was said in the student guide that access to the lockers before eight am and after nine pm was prohibited thus he was forced into his current, ungraceful light strides.

The long hallway that he was on ended with a T intersection and directly in front of him was the pressurized door of the locker rooms. Just as he thought he was on the clear, he found himself pressed close to the grey concrete walls.

"I just don't understand why you love your hot cocoa that much." Professor Goodwitch's unmistakable voice echoed through the desolated hallways.

Jaune gulped as he wished that his black hoodie had the ability to render him invisible to the naked eye even for just a few seconds.

"I am disappointed to see that after all these years you still have yet to know the true importance of a good mug of hot cocoa in our lives." As if to make things worse, Professor Ozpin's voice declared the pair's closing distance.

 _Oh for the love of Monty why? What if they catch me? Will I be expelled? Or maybe I'll just be sanctioned to some sort of detention? Does Professor Ozpin still have a spare mug of that hot cocoa? What will dad and mom do to me and Monty forbid, my sisters' reaction?_

Such questions ravaged Jaune's panicking mind, most were applicable while others were not. He looked behind him and was greeted by the long hallway that he had just passed, devoid of any possible hiding places.

"Such is why the blend must be just right. If I add too much caffeine or lower caffeine into my system and if I don't take my regular drink every three hours or so, then I believe that you will find the main seat as more comfortable than what you have in your office."

Based on the closeness of Professor Ozpin's voice, Jaune assumed that he had at least two minutes to make a mad dash to safety. His feet immediately launched him forward as he landed on the balls of his feet to neutralize the sound. As the pair of voices grew louder and nearer, he stopped a couple of feet away from the intersection and removed his pack. He then propped it on the floor to a manner that it would look like a medium sized box on the side of the pathway. He then lay on his belly behind the backpack. He had done such reckless act several times before back when he was ten years old out of the sheer hate of his math subject. Give enough distance and with the right angle, the brown, square shaped backpack effectively covers his whole body from the sights of his search parties.

To add to his advantage, the hallway had no windows was dimly lit due to the lack of students within it.

"I swear in the name of Monty, if you don't stop with your addiction-"

"Fondness." Ozpin abruptly corrected Glynda's word though it was obvious that the latter was correct with her use of the term.

"then I will have no choice but to permanently cancel your lifelong membership cards to every café in Vale."

Jaune sensed the headmaster stopped dead on his tracks while her right hand woman continued but at a slower pace.

"You wouldn't dare." The knight stifled a laugh at the obvious disbelief in Ozpin's voice.

For the short time that he had been in Beacon Academy, not once had he heard the famed Professor Ozpin break his usual professional and stoic demeanor. But then again, perhaps in the long run, he and his fellow students would witness the very rare occasions eventually.

"Make me." Jaune had his hands cupped on his mouth in an attempt to stay quiet as a deafening silence took hold between the two.

After what seemed to be ages, he heard Ozpin sighed and defeat. "Fine."

He allowed a breath of relief as the sounds of footfalls continued.

"Oh, and before I forget, Mister Arc, you are free to use the lockers. Just make sure that you will be using your armor and weapons responsibly." Ozpin called out to the still prone blonde as the sounds of their footwear slowly faded.

 _Great. That was embarrassing._

Slightly annoyed with his mediocre stealth skills, he dusted himself as he stood up. Knowing that continuing his previous arrangements would be full on idiocy, he freely and openly converged towards the locker room. He reached the panel mounted on the wall beside the pressurized door. Jaune rubbed the bridge of his nose in annoyance as the panel showed 'Welcome Jaune Arc' emblazoned in red capital letters.

"Really have to do something with my stealth."

"Yes that is true." The blonde turned frantically to face another redhead, but longer than compared to Ruby's.

Her emerald green eyes sparkled as it met his rich blue eyes. A bronze circlet shimmered as the little artificial light made contact with its surface. Jaune was a bit stunned as he looked onto the girl's features. She was beautiful no doubt but for some reason, she seemed familiar. But all thoughts were pushed aside as he asked one seemingly random yet important question.

"How long have you been there?"

Bonus

"So, how long have you known that Jaune Arc was lying there in that hallway?" Glynda arched an eyebrow towards the still drinking Ozpin.

Her light blonde hair seemed to glow under the dimly lit hallways much like her companion's silver hair.

"Since yesterday." His response earned a scowl on the golden haired beauty.

At times, Glynda would just simply scream in frustration due to Ozpin's cryptic and at times, sarcastic answers. It was if he was speaking in another language that was full of underlying meanings. But she knew better than to do such ungraceful and unprofessional act, especially with the first years probably still sleeping soundly in the great hall. Because of which, she vented most of her annoyance with an audible sigh. She tried to ignore what seemed for her to be a simple sarcastic reply from her old friend and employer.

"Then at least tell me this, why let the Arc boy retrieve his gear despite him practically breaking the rules?"

Ozpin took a sip from his beloved drink. "Glynda, you must understand that rules are simply guidelines in placed to, as indicated by the term, guide people towards a certain criteria or goal. As such, one should not hold onto it religiously or to let it dictate one's life. As important as a goal or criteria or rather, much greater importance is that of the bonds that people share with each other."

Once again, Glynda was amazed at how Ozpin was able to change the topic to that of the ruling system from her original inquiry.

"And can you kindly explain how that 'human bond' is related with Mister Arc's attempt to sneak into the lockers area?"

The golden haired maiden's brows furrowed as Ozpin raised three fingers. She watched him as he slowly counted down to one then suddenly…

"Aww come on!"

"I'm sorry!"

Glynda's eyes widened as the voices of Jaune Arc and a certain Pyrrha Nikos reached her. Her green eyes looked at the headmaster's brown. The grin on his face, something that she had seen on very rare occasions indicated that he had satisfyingly accomplished some personal agenda. Then it hit her like a speeding vehicle trying to evade capture of the authorities. She removed her thin oval eyeglasses and rubbed the bridge of her nose.

"For Oum's sake, Ozpin, I thought you were past this."

"Correction, I never planned to do it, in fact, the attempt of Mister Arc also surprised me but when I sensed Miss Nikos's aura, I jumped at the chance." He once again took another sip of his drink.

The blonde internally gave up as she had finally concluded, after at least a decade beside him, that he was a lost cause.

"And I thought I was able to actually persuade you away from doing these immature things."

"Well, with all due respect Miss Goodwitch, the only thing that you were able to persuade me was that time when we-" The word never came out of his mouth as he his face was slapped with the huntress's crop.


	7. Chapter 6: First Encounter

Chapter 6

First Encounter

 _Way to make a first impression Jaune. You truly are the king of the socially awkward._

Jaune thought to himself as he donned his simple armor. But the moment he gripped the scabbard of Crocea Mors and clipped it to his belt, he knew that such thoughts must be pushed aside. He closed the metallic locker and inputted his password for it to be secured as his pack was left within it. As he walked towards the only door, he glanced around him for the redhead that he had shamefully encountered earlier.

 _Good, the last thing I need now is another shameful act._

With his mind now tuned to his regular morning drills, he marched confidently towards the training arena. He no longer felt the need to creep through the halls as the headmaster himself had no doubt known his presence from the start. He produced his scroll from one of his pockets and looked at the time.

 _4:37, still have a couple of good hours before everyone wakes up._

The blonde started to jog then dashed towards the arena. His footfalls echoed through the concrete slab of a floor as he passed the various rooms. After a few minutes of a good run, he eventually reached the arena and was pleased to see that it was unlocked and fully operational. As he entered, a lone staff sat in the control booth overlooking the circular platform. The man who wore a long-sleeved shirt with the crest of Beacon Academy and dark blue pants waved at him and signal for him to enter the stage. Jaune nodded and watched as the staff member disappeared deeper into the booth.

"Looks like Ozpin has told the staff huh?" He mumbled to himself as the stage was lit with overhead lights.

"Hey kid, the headmaster told me you would arrive but I have yet to set up all the necessary target bots since it's still quite early." The staff's voice boomed through the speaker.

"So…uhhh…I guess just stick to some drills while I rush these guys." He continued.

"Thanks but I won't need any target bots so don't rush it. There might be some malfunction later on and most likely you'll get in trouble." Jaune raised his voice so that the operator could hear him.

"Alright kiddo, suit yourself. If you need any help just callout, the place has some microphones connected to my station so I can hear you quite fairly."

"Thanks." Jaune answered back as silence enveloped him once more, save for the hum of the nearby electronics.

The Arc unsheathed Crocea Mors and extended the scabbard to its shield form. He instinctively fell into his standard combat stance, left foot forward with the shield facing front while his right was positioned backward as his sword hand was readied to slash. He crouched and widened his base to provide better stability. Once satisfied that he had accomplished the much needed parameters, he closed his eyes and breathed deeply. A few seconds of preparation then his eyes flew open, his rich blue eyes full of determination as he began his drills.

He started with his defense drills as he ducked, rolled, block and parried the attacks of an imagined opponent. Next was his offense drill where he thrusted, slashed, bashed and utilized the use of both his arms and feet against the unseen enemy. Jaune continued to his drills until his scroll beeped, announcing that it was time to proceed to the next phase of his daily routine. Wiping the sweat off his face with the sleeves of his hoodie, the blonde took a moment to recompose himself.

He smiled to himself as fond memories were brought up due to his activity.

 _"_ _Alright Jaune, you better ready yourself." His oldest sister declared as she hefted a rather scary looking war hammer._

 _Jaune gulped as he looked at Jade's weapon of choice. Instantly, he imagined himself being thrown out into the sky like in the cartoon shows he used to watch._

 _"_ _Oh don't be scared Jauney boy, we won't kill you." The second oldest sister, Scarlet reassured him._

 _But the eight year old heir was not convinced due to the resounding giggle that followed her statement and the presence of her weapon in its double-barreled shotgun configuration. He glanced towards the third and fourth oldest sisters that were also lined up beside his other two siblings. A predatory grin was plastered on their faces as they held their chosen arms. Marigold, the third oldest held her halberd while Cerise, his fourth oldest sister had her claymore at the ready._

 _'_ _Oum, I pray to thee to save this lamb from harm.' He silently started his prayer as he faced the grinning features of all four sisters._

 _"_ _Alright, everyone ready!?" The voice of his father, Jonathan bellowed at the two opposing sides._

 _'_ _Have mercy upon thy soul.' He continued as his knees buckled._

 _The other side had four, experienced huntresses in training who wielded merciless weapons while the other had an eight year old Jaune Arc who was merely armed with a small reinforced buckler for protection and a simple short sword._

 _"_ _Remember girls, don't kill our little Jaune okay?" The Arc patriarch reminded the four blonde maidens._

 _'_ _And in return, I-wait…kill?! Don't kill me what!?' Jaune's prayer was interrupted by his father's reminder._

 _"_ _Yes dad!" Jaune winced at the rather enthusiastic reply of his sisters._

 _"_ _Begin!'_

Jaune shuddered at the 'fond' memory. For some reason, he couldn't remember the more 'happy' memories during his training without reminiscing on his dreadful and painful first spar. He exhaled sharply as he purged the traumatizing experience out of his head. But as he did, he faced one problem, he had none to actually test his skills upon. He slightly kicked himself for coming so early but he knew that his body clock and years of being waken up at such a time would beg to differ.

 _Should I use it? But the guy in the booth might see it._

As the blonde contemplated whether or not he should use his semblance or not, he failed to notice the same redhead that he had encountered earlier, creep up behind him.

"Need some help?" Jaune whirled at the sudden high pitched voice.

He was about to raise his shield in defense when he realized who it was.

"Oh…it's you." The blonde clutched his heart through his chest plate.

"You gave me quite the scare." He said to the green eyed girl and gave a low chuckle.

He watched as she smiled at him warmly as she shifted her weight. The gears in his mind began to turn ever so slowly as he began to remember the familiar face. Her red fiery hair was ponytailed to waist-length and was curled slightly into a loose ringlet. Her bronze and red attire or rather, armor reminded him of the ancient warriors' way before the knights themselves, minus the miniskirt. He noticed the round bronze shield behind her along with a spear.

"So do you mind sparring with me for a bit?" Her eyebrows quirked at him and his thoughts were once again pushed to the sidelines.

"Sure, why not?" He said as he fell onto his basic stance.

He watched with interest as she too donned the circular shield and spear and fell into the same stance as he. He noted that the spear seemed to be a bit longer than his Crocea Mors and proceeded to circle her cautiously. She followed in suit and soon they were locked in some sort of slow dance as shields and blades were held. She took the initiative as she dashed towards him and slammed her spear onto his shield.

 _Testing the waters huh?_

Jaune replied with a slash from his sword which clanged onto her shield. He backed up a bit as his opponent launch a flurry of attacks. Some he was able to block with his shield, others parried with his Crocea Mors while most were dodged thanks to his footwork. But despite his efforts, some of her attacks did penetrate his defenses and managed to land a hit on him.

 _She's good._

He thought as he slashed and forced her to jump back. Jaune rushed towards her and bashed her with his shield only to be met with a spear to his side. Both visibly flinched at the sudden contact but the otherwise fatal hits were dulled by their aura. Regaining his bearings, he rushed once more, his shield leading the way. The redhead met him head on as she stabbed onto the approaching knight.

As he saw the movement, he sidestepped to the left, barely missing the tip of her blade. Unable to return her spear fast enough, the green eyed spartan found her face to face with the blue eyed knight. His sword pointed to her abdomen. Jaune noticed the bronze shield hanging by the side of his head as she attempted to hit his head. The two smiled at each other as they both knew the outcome.

"And it's a tie folks! What a stunning finish for our exhibition match between the Knight and the Spartan! Let's give a mighty round of applause for the two contenders." Both looked up to the control booth as feigned crown noises filled the arena.

Jaune sheathed Crocea Mors and began to unconsciously rub the back of his head.

"You really just have to ruin the fun huh?" The question was directed towards the unseen man in the control room.

"Ruin the fun? You mean to say is that I made it more fun. And by the way, Professor Ozpin is watching you guys so say hi to the camera." The staff's cheery voice sounded throughout the room.

Jaune ignored him or rather, failed to hear him and his revelation as his scroll vibrated in his pocket.

"Hey, you're a skilled fighter and…by any chance can I invite you to join my team? Not that I'm forcing you or implying that I'll be chosen as a team leader, but…uhhh…"Jaune stammered through his thoughts but was silenced by the warm smile that the girl had for him.

Again, his scroll vibrated once more which prompted him to retrieve it from his pockets. As he flipped through the messages, his body stiffened. He scowled at the message at hand.

"Thanks for the spar but I gotta bounce." Jaune told his current partner as another issue took hold of his mind.

"You're welcome. Take care of yourself Jaune." She replied.

He heard her calm yet confident voice as he turned towards the door. Drenched in sweat as he jogged towards the locker rooms, he silently contemplated on the why he was being summoned by the headmaster. A chill ran up his spine as the thought of expulsion raced through him. He quickly entered the locker rooms and stored his armor and sword into his locker. Taking a fresh change of clothes, he stepped moved towards the shower room, wishing that a good hot bath could melt away his fears. As he stepped into the small stall, a stray thought pierced through his troubled mind.

 _Wait, I didn't tell her my name did I?_

 **Damn forgot the part about the names being connected to colors. Had to rethink the whole family name for a bit.**


	8. Chapter 7: Huntsman

Chapter 7

Huntsman

The first of the sun's rays crept through Beacon Academy. After a few hours of darkness, light was shed upon the institution illuminating every crevice and plains it had. From the amphitheater to the arena, the airship docks to the nearby Emerald Forest. The light filtered through the gigantic glass windows of Professor Ozpin's study revealing the clockwork motif of his office.

"Jaune Arc, son of Jonathan and Joanne Arc." Jaune tried to calm himself as the cold and unforgiving voice of Professor Ozpin pierced him.

"The fifth of eight and the only son of the couple…" He watched nervously as Ozpin settled the data pad on his desk next to his mug.

He stood straight in front of the silver haired headmaster. He looked onto the man's brown eyes as he wore a mask of defiance and determination.

"I understand that due to some circumstances that your family, your village have, you wish to become a huntsman is that correct Mister Arc?" Ozpin asked as he rested his head onto his clasped hands.

"Yes sir, though there are several hunters and huntresses in our village, they can always use an extra hand especially with the increased numbers of Grimm within our general area." The knight replied.

"And our estate, though can be considered to be heavily fortified, can only hold so many of our people." He added as soulless as he could possibly be.

But it was mostly to hide his growing anxiety and fear in front of the huntsman. Ozpin nodded as the two stared at each other.

"Mister Arc, do you know what fuels the Grimm to keep on moving forward?" He asked him.

"Umm…I believe it is fear." He answered.

"Sir." Jaune quickly added.

"Indeed, the negative emotions of both human and Faunus are the main drive that powers the creatures of Grimm. Emotions such as fear, as you have answered. Now, do you know who combats these creatures?"

"The huntsmen and huntresses, sir." The knight watched, relieved as the headmaster nodded once more.

"And what drives these brave warriors to fight the countless horrifying creatures hell-bent on destroying us?"

Jaune thought for a bit. His mind rushed to find an answer as he sifted through the teachings of his parents and sisters.

"May I speak freely sir?" He asked and winced as his voice cracked.

"You are always free to speak Mister Arc, as long as it is within reason." Ozpin nodded as he straightened his back on his leathered seat.

"If I am to base on my own personal experience and outlook, I think that what drives them is the want to protect their loved ones. They defend against the creatures not because of the fame or fortune that it might bring them but to secure the safety and future of those around them."

"A wise answer Mister Arc."

Pure horror gripped the young knight when the headmaster reached out into his drawer and produced a sheet of paper. He tried to suppress the dread that he felt when he saw his forged transcripts on his desk but failed miserably as he felt his knees tremble.

"And given your answer and situation, I understand your eagerness to enroll here in our academy in order to prepare you to become a full-fledged huntsman."

 _Here we go._ He internally prepared for the worst.

"But before I continue, I wish to ask you, Mister Arc. Do you know the intensity of punishment that you can receive due to this single false document?"

Jaune nodded shamefully.

"And you still did it. Why?" Ozpin clasped his hands as he stared into Jaune.

The young man let out a sigh of resignation. _Might as well just explain it to him._

"Sir, I believe you know both my parents seeing that they were the same batch as you when they entered Beacon."

Ozpin nodded his confirmation.

"Mom and dad, they were great at their craft, both as a parent and as a huntsman and huntress. They understood that because of that I and my older sisters practically grew up watching them fight to defend our people that we too yearned to follow in their footsteps." Jaune allowed a glance towards the headmaster who, to his relief was listening intently.

"They even went so far as to train us five but then that day happened." Jaune inhaled sharply as he forcefully summoned the memory that he had long since chose to forget.

"Me and Marigold, my third oldest sister was on our way home from our usual afternoon spar. My parents were both away due to some mission, my three younger sisters were in the neighboring village with my grandparents since they were still too young to live without adult supervision along with Cerise, my fourth oldest sister. Jade and Scarlet, the two eldest was, at the time, attending their second and first years here at Beacon." He gulped a lump that was beginning to take shape.

"It was a normal day, or at least, right before a Beowolf appeared out of nowhere." He couldn't help but shudder as he forced himself to continue.

"We were young and naïve, Marigold being fifteen and me being thirteen, we thought that we could handle one Grimm with our training. So we did the most logical thing that we thought we had, to fight, discarding all the various ways that our parents thought us that would allow us to escape from the Grimm. But we were wrong and…" Jaune took a moment to compose himself as he balled his trembling hands.

"We were torn into shreds. Marigold suffered an injury that rendered her incapable of being a huntress while I nearly lost my life due to a fatal blow. We would've died right there and then if it weren't for our fellow villagers who heard the commotion. Since then, except for Jade and Scarlet, the rest of us were prohibited with continuing our parents' or rather, our family's legacy." Jaune ended.

He looked up to Ozpin when he realized that he had lowered his head. He was met with a stern gaze that nearly made him flinch. His head rested on his clasped hands.

"And so you decided to run away and forge your way into Beacon." Ozpin concluded to which Jaune nodded sadly.

"Mom and dad were furious at me when I told them that I wanted to go to Beacon. So I was left with no choice. I knew that if I go through the legal process to enter, then my parents would be notified due to some needed papers. So I decided to forge my transcripts knowing full well that it was a gamble."

Several moments of painful silence passed by, Jaune uncomfortably shifted his weight from leg to leg in an effort to ease some tension within him. He was about to talk when the headmaster spoke.

"But forging government papers in order for you to be accepted, I believe you know what this means am I correct Mister Arc."

He nodded slowly, crestfallen. Flashes of his family's possible reaction once they learn of his treachery played through him. And he had the guts to leave the family unannounced due to his want to prove himself to them and to continue the legacy. He bit himself back to maintain his demeanor.

"As such, saddened as it may be seeing that today is practically your first day of classes, you are to be no longer enrolled in this academy,"

Jaune couldn't help but flinch as the hammer was finally brought down to him. He felt the weight of the world slowly pull down his head.

"Or at least, that was what I was supposed to say." Jaune raised his head ever so slightly to look at the headmaster.

He watched as he ripped the forged credentials until it was merely reduced to several pieces of scrapped paper. He then produced another transcript from his drawer. The blonde looked at it with widened eyes as he realized that it was the genuine thing. He gazed at every field that it had where his correct information, from his birthdate to his combat experience was written. A pen then rolled on top of it which prompted the confused glance of the blonde.

"That's a true copy of your transcripts. Originally, I wouldn't have noticed yours as fake if it weren't for the obsolete coding number. For a seventeen year-old, it was an excellent forgery."

"But why?" Ozpin's brows rose as he took a sip of his drink.

"You already know that I cheated my way in, why still accept me despite my treachery? I understand if you will report me to the authorities but-" Jaune was stopped by a raised palm.

"Mister Arc, you must understand, while I am bound by my duty as a headmaster to do such actions due to your forgery. But I am also bound by my duties as a huntsman and a mentor, to teach and train the future generations of warriors that will protect mankind from the Grimm."

Jaune watched as Ozpin took another sip. Ever so slowly digesting the man's words and trying to find any underlying agenda that he might have.

"Because of this, I am giving you a second chance, to redeem yourself and to become what you have always dreamed of." Jaune simply stared at Ozpin, utterly stunned at what he just said.

"If you look onto this piece of paper, you will find that the forged information has been changed to that of your actual background, all you have to do is to sign it."

He couldn't still believe his ears. He was found to be guilty of forgery and yet here he was, being given a second chance.

"But why? You never answered that question."

The man in the black suit simply smiled as he placed his mug on his desk.

"I see in you great potential, Mister Arc. Much like your sisters and parents before you." He took another sip from his mug.

"I know your parents as well as your two older sisters. They are good folks. Always eager to put their own lives on the line in order to protect the people they have sworn to defend. And much like them, I see such virtue in you much like when I fought alongside Blaine and Clementine."

"But what if they-"

"And though I am doing this both for your sake and that of Remnant, if ever comes a time that your family is to take you back either with your consent or by force, know that we can only provide so much help until it goes out of our jurisdiction. As such, make sure that you are to deal with your family whenever you are ready so that to avoid any conflict."

Jaune nodded.

"Now that that is settled…"He straightened his posture as he motioned towards the paper.

The knight stared blankly at Ozpin then to his legit transcript and back to Ozpin.

"Oh for Oum's sake, Jaune Arc. Just sign the damn paper already. We still have an initiation to be held and its best that none of us are to be late." Ozpin said as he stood up from his comfortable chair.

Nodding, Jaune leaned down and signed on the indicated field. He then looked at Ozpin who was now standing in front of him.

"Welcome to Beacon Academy, Mister Jaune Arc." He offered his hand in which Jaune shook it.

"Thank you, sir." He said as he freed his hand from the gesture.

"Now move along, we will meet again once the initiation starts and along the hallways henceforth."

Jaune proceeded to exit the room but as he clutched the doorknob, he turned to face the man once again.

"I will not disappoint you, sir." And without further words, leaves the man with a cane.

As the Jaune heard the lock of the door, he allowed himself a fresh breath of relief.

 _I have to make things count._ He thought as he stared at his clenched fists.

 _Too much is riding on this._

Thus with renewed determination and fervor, he walked through the halls of Beacon Academy as he once again found himself heading towards the locker rooms. But this time, he no longer need to creep his way through as if he was a thief, he was, after all, a student of Beacon Academy.

 **Just changed the names of Jaune's parents. I just thought that Jonathan and Joanne had a better ring than Blaine and Clementine. And although the new names are not based on colors, I guess that the rationality behind it is that the color oriented names only started with the newer generation thus having the older generation having a bigger name pool.**


	9. Chapter 8: The First Step

Chapter 8

The First Step

"Yep, no more awkward small talk or getting to know you stuff. Today I get to let my sweetheart do the talking." Jaune walked through the rows of lockers only to find Ruby spooning her Crescent Rose.

Looking on the map that the staff has given him, he noticed that the locker where his things were relocated was in the same row. Shortly after his talk with Ozpin, he went straight to the locker room to prepare for the upcoming initiation. If only he knew that the talk with Ozpin was that intense and would take up time, he would've gone there dressed in his armor along with Crocea Mors. Normally, it wouldn't be a problem for him to make a quick change but for the short time that he had been away from his things, somehow it managed to walk and relocate itself in locker six-three-six. He sighed at the thought, there was no way that he could have put it there seeing that he was quite sure that his locker number earlier that day only consisted of two digits.

 _Might as well say hi to them._ He thought as he saw the two sisters.

"First of all, what does meeting people have to do with fighting?"

 _Oh boy, here she goes._ He jokingly thought as he neared the pair who was obviously in some sort of miscommunication.

"And secondly I don't need people to help me grow up, I drink milk." Ruby said as she crossed her arms.

Jaune noticed the opening for him to drop a short greeting and so he took it.

"Sorry Ruby but I doubt that milk would help you that much when you're fighting against the Grimm. Oh and, good morning to you two by the way." He said as he passed Yang and Ruby.

"Oh, morning Jaune. You see sis?" Yang said as Jaune saw a smirk on her face.

"Hi Jaune-hey! I don't want to hear that from you of all people Jaune." Ruby stuck out her tongue in retaliation.

He laughed at the difference in reaction and simply waved his hand in dismissal.

"Let's see…six-three-six, six-three-six." He mumbled to himself as he sifted through the lockers."

"This is ridiculous, there's no way I put my gear in locker six-three-six earlier." He told himself as he continued to walk through the rows of lockers.

"…I'm sure everyone must be eager to unite with such a strong, grown up individual such as yourself." The voice of a certain white haired Schnee reached Jaune as he progressed on his quest.

Nonetheless, his eyes remained glued onto the map handed to him by a staff.

"Hmm…I'm not quite sure." Another female student answered.

"I was planning of letting the chips fall where they may." She added.

 _Let's see, six-two-nine, six-three-zero, six-thre-_

"Oh, good morning Jaune."

The blonde looked up from the makeshift map and into the light blue eyes of Weiss. Her smile once again made something within him skip a beat.

 _No! Bad Jaune! Bad! Keep your head in the game._

"Good morning, Weiss." He smiled back as he folded the map into his pocket.

He was confident enough that he could move forward from where he was without the aid of it.

"So about last night…" Jaune looked at her curiously as her voice trailed off, that was until he remembered that he had yet to give her an answer.

"Ah yeah, sure. And sorry I was a bit occupied earlier this morning with my routine so I wasn't able to give you my answer." He replied sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Don't worry I understand." She replied.

Jaune noticed that for some reason, Weiss seemed to keep her gaze anywhere but him but would often glance at him. He internally shrugged and placed it that perhaps Weiss was a bit more socially awkward that he was.

"Honestly, I would prefer to just let things flow as they are." The knight would've stabbed himself at the sight of Weiss's saddened reaction if not for his stubborn grip with reason.

"But if we, by any chance find ourselves to be partners during the initiation then I am more than happy to be your partner."

He shifted his weight uncomfortably as he felt someone watching him.

"Sure, that's okay." Jaune somewhat regretted the way he made the young heiress let on.

Though the family reputation was also at fault as to why he couldn't say 'yes' to her directly.

"Cheer up Weiss. I'm sure things will work out." Jaune's attention was somewhat, forced towards the direction of the familiar voice.

His assumptions were correct when he was faced with the very girl that he had spared earlier. She wore the same set of armor as she did earlier. Well, Jaune couldn't really judge her for that as he virtually wore the same thing in exception with his current lack of armor and sword. She closed on the two from behind the young knight.

"Wait, aren't you the girl that I sparred with earlier?" He asked, deciding to take the initiative for once.

"You sparred with her!?" Weiss's blurted out as she backed a few steps.

Both the redhead and blonde looked at her due to the rather exaggerated reaction. She then positioned herself between the two.

"Umm…yeah. Why is that something bad?" Jaune asked, genuinely confused and curious.

"How are you still alive!? I mean, do you have no idea who you are talking to?" Weiss asked with still a tinge of surprise.

"Not the slightest, no I don't." He simply said, openly admitting his cluelessness.

 _Hope she's not some daughter of a big corporate president like Weiss. The last thing I need is-_

"This is Pyrrha." Weiss said as she introduced the redhead.

"Hello again." Pyrrha waved at him from behind the lite Schnee.

 _…_ _uhhh…okay. How was that a bad thing?_

Jaune's blank gaze on the heiress made her rub her temples.

"Pyrrha Nikos." Weiss said again.

"Pyrrha graduated top of her class at Sanctum."

Jaune's mind searched the said school through his inner database and concluded that…

"Never heard of it. Kind of self trained with some help of my..." He trailed off as he shuddered with the memory of his first spar against his sisters.

"really crazy family. Only know the schools within Vale." Weiss scoffed a bit.

"She's won the Minstral regional tournament, four years in a row. A new record."

"Not that much into sports especially when I find myself pitted against a nest of King Taijitus most of the time."

"That doe-wait you fought them single handedly?" Weiss looked at him as if she saw him under new light.

"For the most part. My older sisters and dad would charge in once I ran out of aura though." He said sheepishly.

" Anyway." Weiss continued as she brushed an invisible lock of hair.

"She's on the cover of every Pumpkin Pete's Marshmallow Flakes box." Jaune narrowed his eyes on Pyrrha at Weiss's declaration.

 _She does looks like…wait._

"You are her!" Jaune gasped and took a few steps back.

"They only do that for star athletes and cartoon characters." He added.

Jaune heard a snicker not far from them followed by Yang's distinct taunting voice. "Finally, Jaune actually noticed her!"

"Oh hush Yang!" He shouted back as the two sisters disappeared from his sight, hindered by the many lockers that lined the walls.

Pyrrha giggled at the playful exchange. "Yeah it was cool…" She said.

"Sadly the cereal isn't very good for you." Both the Spartan and the knight said at the same time.

Both smiled at each other with the sudden mix of their voices. Before any more words were to be exchanged the voice of Professor Goodwitch was broadcasted throughout the locker room. Her summons to the cliff facing Emerald Forest abruptly ended the trio's conversation as Jaune rushed to equip his gear.

Minutes later, Jaune stood atop of the cliff overlooking the said forest along with his fellow students. He was last amongst the batch that was about to take the said initiation, the very moment where pairs were to be decided. He watched as Professor Goodwitch tapped on her data pad while Professor Ozpin looked onto the trees. He relished the cool breeze that caressed his skin but at the same time, his instincts were screaming at him that something definitely bad was about to happen.

Jaune clasped Crocea Mors's hilt as he was filled with both excitement and nervousness. He looked beside him where Ruby stood, next to her were Yang, Cardin, Ren, Nora as well as Weiss and Pyrrha.

 _Hmm…I wonder where Blake is._ He was pulled back into reality as Ozpin cleared his throat.

"For years you have trained to become warriors, but today your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest."

Jaune couldn't help but look at the silver haired huntsman with a new level respect, partly because of what he did for him and mostly as he still seem to hold on to his hot cocoa despite the daggers that Professor Goodwitch was throwing at him.

"Now, I'm sure many of you have heard rumors about the assignment of teams…" The fellow blonde, albeit lighter in coloration, started.

"Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates…today." Glynda announced matched with her eyes narrowing.

"Wha-awww." Jaune suppressed a smile as the red cloaked girl whined cutely.

"These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon. So it is in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you could work well." Ozpin explained.

"Awww."

 _Ruby…just stop please._ Jaune thought as he saw the eyes of his fellow students lock onto Ruby along with Ozpin's and Glynda's.

"That being said, first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years." Ozpin said then took a sip of his almost constant drink.

Jaune heard Ruby blurt out a loud 'what?' followed by Nora's 'see, I told you'.

"After you partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest. You will meet opposition, do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path or you will die." The man who wore dark green and black warned the students that stood before him.

Jaune balled his free hand to a fist as he became determined to prove himself to the professor.

"You will be monitored and graded for the duration of your initiation. But our instructors will not intervene."

"So we're all alone huh." Jaune silently mumbled to himself.

"You will find an abandoned temple by the end of the path containing several relics. Each pair must choose one and return to the top of the cliff, we will regard that item as well as your standing to grade you appropriately." Professor Ozpin once again dented his drink with a much longer sip.

"Now, are there any more questions?" He asked to which Jaune raised his hand silently.

"Good. Now, take your positions." He announced which Jaune's raised arms wavered ever so slightly.

"Uhh…sir I got a question." The knight persisted which earned the attention of the said professor.

"Yes Mister Arc, what is it?" He responded all the while still drinking his precious hot cocoa.

"So are we going to-" Jaune stopped in midsentence when he saw Weiss was launched into the air.

"Never mind." He sighed as his question was answered even before he actually asked it.

 _Great, I should've known that we would be launched into the forest._

He crouched and widened his base much like his usual combat stance. He saw the two professors eye him appraisingly as he did. He listened to the mechanisms being engaged as one by one, his friends and acquaintances soared into the horizon. He could hear the gleeful cries of Nora and Yang as he and Ruby exchanged motivational glances. He watched the young girl herself get launched into the air and sighed once more.

"I really hate flyiiiiiiiinnngggg!" What started as a simple statement ended with a scream as he was thrown onto the air.

Bonus

"Well…that's unfortunate." Ozpin sipped on his still steaming mug of his favorite sugar.

Glynda eyeing him sharply as she tried to think of a way to stop her employer's addiction to the sugar filled drink as well as the caffeine filled variation.


	10. Chapter 9: Emerald Forest

Chapter 9

Emerald Forest

 _"Hey Jaune, come here for a sec." Jade beckoned to him as she held her war hammer, Mjolnir._

 _The thirteen year-old Arc maiden shouldered her twelve feet personal weapon as if it was nothing._

 _"Sure." Jaune replied enthusiastically as he readjusted his wooden armor._

 _"Didn't you tell me before that you wanted to fly like a Nevermore?" She asked as innocently as she could._

 _Jaune, being the clueless child that he was, nodded in agreement as he remembered him saying such thing. The eldest of the five siblings grinned with glee._

 _"Alright then, stand over here and put your buckler over…here." She said as he guided him in place and placed his shield hand behind his bottom._

 _"Make sure that you hold it steady alright Jaune?" She asked which earned the enthusiastic confirmation of her younger brother._

 _One of the many mistakes that the young Jaune did was to close his eyes in anticipation of his eventual flight. Because of this, he did not notice her sister lined up Mjolnir so that the flat of the war hammer would hit the center of the circular shield._

 _"Reeeaaadddyyy…go!"_

Jaune opened his eyes as he soared through the Emerald Forest. The sun kissed his being as he flew or fell towards the vast sea of green. His shield was raised in front to him at an angle to act as a windbreaker but to still allow him enough visibility to know where he was headed. Crocea Mors still fastened on its scabbard portion. One by one, he watched as his fellow first years landed through the thick trees. He was particularly awed with Ruby's landing strategy as she fired several shots with her Crescent Rose to slow his approach before snagging a tree branch and completely disappearing from his sight.

 _Well then, I guess now's the time to start._ He thought as he felt himself descent onto the forest below.

Closing his eyes once more, he concentrated and activated his aura. Almost instantly, a near transparent pair of Nevermore like wings sprouted from his back. One of the many gifts that the Arc family was blessed was their uncanny ability to control their aura. Although it was mostly in a form of a transparent armor that provided added protection to their body as well as boosting their offensive capabilities. Such form was thought to be the pinnacle of aura manipulation thus causing the family to be the object of quite the high regards. But unlike any other Arcs, Jaune was able to thoroughly master aura manipulation to the point where he could summon different objects at will. He was pretty sure that he was the first to do so thus he took it upon himself to name it 'aura construct'.

Despite such ability, the young knight chose not to disclose such information even to his family due to some hidden paranoia of his. In addition to this, he also chose to wear a façade of a weak and utterly useless combatant, partly because of his parents' and older sisters not wanting him to be a huntsman but mostly because he did not want to insight their wrath once they found out that he had been secretly training behind their backs with the help of both Marigold and the younger ones to cover him.

He then began to glide a bit further than where he would've landed without the use of his aura construct. But as he felt his momentum lessen, he straightened himself to stop in midair and slowly descended to the forest floor. However, he decided to land on a sturdy branch of a towering tree with the intention to find his bearings.

As soon as he landed though, a fast approaching voice reached his ears.

"Waaaatttttcccchhh ooouuuttt!"

But before he could even turn towards the source of the voice, he felt something impact behind him. Forcing him to collide with the massive trunk of the tree he was on.

"Ouch…" His claim of pain was muffled as his face was nudged into the tree trunk.

"Oh Oum, I'm sorry!"

 _Wait was that Pyrrha? So much for being a four year champion._ He felt her pull him out of his blackout.

"Hello again." She said in a cheery note.

He smiled at her as he fell onto the thick tree branch.

"Sooo…looks like we're paired up." Jaune said sheepishly as he was pulled into her green eyes.

It elicited a giggle from the redhead. "Yes, I believe that it looks that way."

The knight and the Spartan jumped down and landed with a satisfying thump. Jaune breathed in the fresh air as it reminded him much of Camelot, the village where almost every Arc was born and raised. He smiled at the thought, the longing for his family once again made him feel the wretched clutches of homesickness. He then retracted the shield into its compact form and clipped it to his left side.

"What now?" He asked Pyrrha who was returning her spear behind her.

"We go north so…" She replied as she looked at where the sun hung followed by several pointing of fingers.

"That way." She deduced, her index finger stretched to Jaune's left.

With a shrug, he decided to take point as they worked their way through the dense forest. He made it a point to constantly check behind him to make sure that the red haired soon-to-be huntress was still behind him. The pair worked in silence, in an awkward silence, to be specific. And already, the knight was beginning to suffer due to this.

 _So much about letting things flow. Maybe I should've made arrangements with Weiss…then again perhaps once she learns that I'm not from a rich family then…_

His thoughts were quelled by a tap on his shoulders. He looked behind him to see the fair skinned Pyrrha but at the same time, failed to notice a tree branch bending to hit his face as his hand slipped from its grip. Jaune felt something hit the side of his head followed by a snap, he looked back only to see a part of a broken branch. His brows furrowed as he shrugged.

"Umm…are you alright Jaune?" Pyrrha's worried voice once again begged for his attention.

"Yeah I'm cool, got worse hits from my sisters than that." He smiled reassuringly as he pointed to the broken branch which now lay on the ground.

Jaune's ears quirked as several shots resounded throughout the forest.

"Did you hear that?" He asked his partner whose green eyes met his blue eyes with a certain degree of admiration.

"Gunfire, it seems that some of our comrades have encountered the enemy." The two exchanged nods as they felt that none of such enemy was near them.

Once again, the painful blanket of silence enveloped the two. Eventually, they chanced upon a small cave on the side of a cliff. Normally, Jaune would prefer to stay clear of such places as much as possible but after seeing his partner snap out a tree branch and proceeded to make a makeshift torch, he knew that it was inevitable. Unsheathing Crocea Mors and extending his shield, he once again became the vanguard while Pyrrha provided him with light.

"You know, this is totally unnecessary." Jaune muttered to his partner.

He was never a fan of dark and confined spaces as it limits his mobility and movements. He had enough scars to prove it when he fought several King Taijitus during his hellish training. He shivered at the memory as well as the draft of air that seemed to come out well within the cave.

"You mean you have night vision like a Faunus?" Her voice expressed full curiosity and confusion.

"What? No, I mean, it is totally unnecessary for us to enter this-" He stopped as he felt the faintest vibration on the ground where he stood.

Taking from previous experience, he gestured to Pyrrha to remain silent as he strained every single one of his five senses that he had. But much to his horror and disappointment, what he thought out to be a simple trick of the mind was no doubt real. The vibration became stronger as it resounded through the cave walls and the distant yet fast approaching sound of several…things clicking onto the ground filled his ears.

"We have to move. Now!" He told Pyrrha as he pivoted to escape whatever was about to attack them.

They barely made it out of the cave when a giant, scorpion like Grimm, a Deathstalker bursts through the small opening, effectively enlarging it. He looked at it as he ran and noticed its stinger swaying towards Pyrrha's direction who for some reason, was behind him instead of in front of him, the torch no longer in her hands and was replaced by her spear.

"Damn it." He cursed to himself as he skidded to a stop and pulled Pyrrha out of harm's way.

He gave the Spartan a mighty push as she passed him before raising his own shield in preparation for the shock of impact. He was correct with his assessment, if he had decided to continue to run then he would've had at least had a nasty gash on his back despite his potent aura and armor, or at least that was what the young knight had in mind. He felt the stinger impact his shield and instantly, he found himself off ground for the second time for the day. He began to rethink his luck as he felt several trees break against his back.

"Jaune!" He heard the fast fading voice of Pyrrha which made him hope that she would be fine in the absence of her partner.

 _Then again, she's not called a champion if she-_ "Ouch!" Jaune yelped as he felt his back slam onto a tree.

"That's-gonna-leave-a-mark." He winced painfully as he barreled through tree after tree.

After much punishment, he eventually found himself soaring in a clearing. He would've been happy if it weren't for the part where his whole body went numb on him and that he could barely move his limbs and the familiar feeling that his second flight would end painfully.

 _Well, considering that my main aura is almost used up and that I'm as numb as…wait…is that Ruby scre-_

And indeed it was. Jaune heard the familiar high pitched voice as he slammed onto whom he assumed to be Ruby. He briefly saw Nora and Ren near a corpse of an Ursa, the prior was on top of the beast's head as if examining it while the later bent to his knees, obviously exhausted by some activity. His eyes darted to Blake's and Yang's opened mouths as they stared up to him and most likely, Ruby. It was as if everything was in slow motion up to that point then as if someone pressed the fast forward button in a remote, his vision was reduced to a blur. He felt his being collide with the more comfortable cushions of leaves as a resounding thump made the obvious tree he was on shake.

"That was Ruby." He told himself.

He made a mental note to thank her for sparing him his seventeenth-ish trunk.

 _Maybe some ice-cream should do the trick._

As he attempted to free himself all the while hearing the chaos that was happening in the clearing, he began to tap into his aura reserves and sure enough, he felt his minor injuries heal.

"Almost…ther-giaghh." Jaune yelped as his upper torso dangled from the tree's web like branches.

"Oh, hi Ruby."

Jaune looked at the red hooded girl as she rubbed the back of her head.

"Hi Jaune. Crazy day huh?" She responded all the while trying to shakily stand up.

"Oh, you have no idea."

"Jaune!" Both the blonde and the other partial redhead turned to look at the Spartan as she ran emerge from the tree line.

"Oh, good. Pyrrha made it out." As soon as he said it, a Deathstalker once again burst through the forest, knocking several trees down.

"And she's being chased by a Deathstalker." Ruby added as the two friends stared at each other blankly.

"Ruby you dolt!" As if on cue, Weiss's voice reached the two confiding teens.

Jaune looked at the circling Nevermore above the clearing only to see the girl in question hanging for dear life on the Grimm's back. He was both amazed and mortified to see her in such a predicament

"But I told her to jump." Ruby mumbled followed by a sigh.

Jaune face palmed as he watched the scene in front of him unfold.

 _"Trust me, Jaune, you're going to need it."_ _Joanne, the Arc matriarch insisted as she gave him a small lucky charm in the form of a silver cross._

Jaune gripped the small item in his pocket as he remembered his mother's words. Even though the said charm was originally intended for his final examination at the village school when he was around twelve, it still gave him hope that he would survive the madness.

 _This was not what I signed up for._

Bonus

Ozpin stood on top of the cliff beside his trusted companion. He savored his regular drink all the while watching the progress of his new students.

"Our last pair has been formed sir." Glynda announced as she flicked through her data panel.

"Nora Valkyrie and Lie Ren." The headmaster looked at the sudden change of face that his right hand woman had.

From her stoic and stern features, he watched with slight amusement as it turned to that of pity and exhaustion.

"Poor boy, I can't possibly imagine how those two get along." She added.

Ozpin chuckled which prompted the questioning gaze of Glynda.

"They have been together since their childhood, Glynda. I'm sure that they are used with each other's company by now." He told her and flicked through his own data panel.

"Still, they're probably better off than our knight and Spartan."

Instantly, the translucent screen showed the pair as they were being chased by a Deathstalker. It didn't take long though for one of the two to be launched into the air as a certain knight pulled the Spartan out of harm's way. It was brave and noteworthy effort to save is partner. He smiled at the action.

 _Indeed, he has some great potential._ He thought.

He visibly winced at what had transpired. Both Glynda's and Ozpin's data pads were covered by a now, airborne Jaune Arc as he blasted through several century old trees.

"That's going to leave a mark." Ozpin hissed with partial pity to his candidate.

Glynda sighed. "I'll inform our medics." She said as she walked out of his earshot to do so as she had told him.

 _Well, at least it won't be just like last time._ Ozpin thought as he silently relished the hot cocoa in his mug.


	11. Chapter 10: Players and Pieces

Chapter 10

Players and Pieces

The silent and peaceful forest, home to many exotic wildlife and several species of the much feared creatures of Grimm was bathed by the unfiltered sunlight. No clouds were visible as such, much was illuminated under its direct influence. The green, brown and everything in between coexisted harmoniously in a sea of life. It would've been an ideal sight as such peace and silence was slowly becoming rare throughout the whole of Remnant. Or at least, that was what the blonde knight wanted it to be.

He watched as a chaotic dance unfolds before him. The carcass of a deceased Ursa near the edge of the clearing was slowly decomposing. The kill was most probably courtesy of Nora and Ren. Ruby who was beside him just moments ago, decided to reunite with Yang but their much awaited embrace was ruined by Ren's energetic companion. They were all standing in front of the ruins that Ozpin had told them where the relics that they must retrieve were being held.

"Yep…she is too energetic for her own good." He told to himself.

. Blake merely watched things unfold beside the two sisters and Nora, somewhat unfazed by all that has been transpiring around her. Not too far from the four, Pyrrha was still being chased by a Deathstalker, Ren struggling to rejoin his partner and Weiss screaming at the top of her lungs as she rode a black feathered Nevermore.

"This just can't get any worse huh?" Instantly, he regretted him saying it as he stood on a tree branch.

"I can't take it anymore!" Jaune flinched as he watched his fellow blonde explode in flames.

"Did she just…yeah she just exploded." He said to himself as he rubbed his eyes in disbelief.

"Can everyone just chill out for two seconds before something crazy happens again!?"

At her statement, Jaune amusedly counted up to two and watched as Ren finally joined the group. And true to her words, the white haired Schnee screamed once again, only now was that she was holding onto one of the giant Grimm's talons.

"How could you leave me!?" Her inquiry was most likely directed to Ruby as Jaune remembered him colliding with her a few feet above ground.

"She's gonna fall." He mumbled as he readied himself for the inevitable catch.

Without a moment's hesitation, he jumped from where he stood which earned several worried calls from the two sisters and Pyrrha who was still being chased by the Deathstalker. He disregarded them and summoned his semblance once more. Jaune was blessed, at least to say as he was born into a family with rather potent aura manipulation abilities. As such with that paired with a bit of imagination and perseverance, he could now manifest his aura into any solid object, be it a dozen floating spears of a pair of Nevermore wings. It was a step above his family's 'pinnacle of aura manipulation'. Much like what he was currently doing.

Despite his initial fear with 'flying' thanks to his eldest blonde sister, he was able to conquer it. A great help especially when one was facing the airborne creatures of Grimm.

Wind rushed around Jaune's being, his hair became disheveled by the sheer force of his flight. His hearing was deafened both by the roars of the avian Grimm and of the snowball tumbling through the air. His wings glided to position him just below the Schnee heiress when he saw the Nevermore eject its feather projectiles.

"Shit!" He yelled in annoyance as he projected a pair of shields, one for Weiss and the other for himself.

He maintained both until he was close enough for his aura shield to cover Weiss as well. Jaune moved in perfect synch with Weiss's falling form as he pulled her to his arms all the while defending both of them from the assault of the giant Grimm. He embraced her tightly to avoid hearing a disturbing splat on the forest ground.

"Weiss, I'm going to drop you alongside the others. You guys deal with the Deathstalker, the Nevermore is mine." He looked at her, satisfied as she gave a weak nod as red streaks appeared on her cheeks.

Dissolving his shield as they descended, Jaune then summoned several spears to counter the relentless assault being thrown at them. He watched as his ghostly spears met the black feathers and clashed in midair. He launched another wave before the Nevermore could even position itself, some bounced off its thick skin while a few managed to nudge itself into its flesh. Another bloodcurdling roar was heard, courtesy of the bird like Grimm.

As the two were about a feet from solid ground, the knight lessened his approach and like a landing gear of an airship, dangled Weiss with her feet pointed towards the ground.

"Wa-wait! Jaune, can't you put me down a little more safely?" She asked as Jaune prepared to release his grip on her arms.

"Sorry Weiss but I have to maintain as much speed as I can so that I can return to the fight."

He glanced at the surprisingly determined and resolved face of Weiss. It was rather baffling for him considering how her voice seemed to shake earlier but he banished it out of his mind. A smile graced his face.

 _Looks like they've have some good combat experience huh?_

"Alright Weiss, I'll drop you so that you could rejoin the group. Use your ice glyphs to stall that Deathstalker then tell everyone to regroup. Do you understand?"

The Schnee in question scoffed but agreed nonetheless. As Jaune neared the group, he yelled to Weiss.

"Go get them Weiss!" And like bombs in a bomber, he released his lithe payload and quickly climbed into the sky.

 _Now it's just plain old dogfight._ He thought as he was filled with the excitement and rush of combat.

He unsheathed Crocea Mors and activated his actual shield in preparation for combat. The wounded Nevermore circled, he could see drips of some black liquid come from its wounds. As the two faced each other and flew towards each other, Jaune produced recreation of the swords used by his ancestors. From the sword of the great warrior King Roland down to the sword of his father and launched it towards the Grimm with the motion of Crocea Mors. The Nevermore reared and released its own feathers towards him but Jaune's swords outnumbered the released projectiles. Needless to say, the Grimm was no match and was shredded to pieces within seconds.

Jaune hovered as he confirmed his kill. His blonde hair was ruffled by the air current that enveloped him. His breathing labored as he sheathed his weapons. His sight was slowly blurring and he could feel his body burn up.

 _Not good._ He thought as he faced the obvious effects of fatigue.

He could feel that his wings were fading and he deduced that he won't be airborne for any longer than a minute. He was sure that his aura was nearing its end considering all of the beating he had received earlier. Surveying the ground battle, he was relieved that the rest of the group was able to down the Deathstalker. Its stinger firmly nailed into its exoskeleton and through its flesh. The knight began his slow descend onto the forest floor. His vision slowly darkened as he faced the threat of a blackout.

 _Damn it, used too much aura._ He thought annoyingly as he chastised himself.

He was too confident that he could pass the initiation without much trouble. But due to his carelessness he had allowed the Deathstalker to deal a major blow and drain but a droplet of his aura. The damaged done to his body forced him to use his reserves to heal himself which were also drained during the dogfight.

 _Still need to train._ He thought as his consciousness slowly faded.

He felt his wings completely evaporate followed by a short drop to the ground. His face met the soil, the pain of the contact dulled to that of his whole body. He couldn't move at all as he heard the cries of his friends and their fast approaching footfalls. Slowly, his body was turned so that he faced the worrying eyes of the pack. He smiled weakly, mostly directed to Pyrrha who held him in her arms.

"Sorry…guys but…I might…need some…help." He said between lungful gasps of air.

"Jaune are you alright?" Ruby's trembling voice reached him.

 _Damn, so cute._

"Ye-yeah. Just fatigue…due to…aura…exhaustion." He weakly replied.

He tore his gaze from the people that encircled him and towards the ruins. He could faintly see several chess pieces on top of pedestals arranged in a semicircular manner.

"Did…you…guys have…your…relics?" He asked, still lying limply on Pyrrha's arms.

All seven nodded. He smiled back at them as he tried to stand up but failed miserably. Jaune took a few moments to recuperate, after which he sat up much to the protests of his body. He grunted with the sheer effort that he had to put on just to complete the simple task.

"Alright…guys…let's get…back to the…cliff." He told them as he attempted to stand.

He nearly fell to the ground as his knees buckled. He was caught by a certain tall redhead and a certain small ice princess.

"Jaune, don't push yourself." Pyrrha told him.

"We got you." Weiss added.

He heard Yang snicker behind him but was too tired to stop her from what she was about to do or say. As such he braced for the worst.

"So is it White Knight or Arkos?"

"Shut it Yang." He weakly deadpanned as both red and white supported his weight.

He was replied by a howl of laughter from the blonde, a 'whooing' from Nora and a worried stare from Ruby.

 _"Relax Jaune." His father, Jonathan told him as he chopped a piece of wood in half._

 _"Once you reach your age of becoming, you don't have to worry about being awkward." He reassured him as he cleaved another piece of firewood._

 _Jonathan's bare chest showed his experience both as a huntsman and as a husband and father. Several scars lined up his muscular body. Some were due to his fieldwork while others were from an enraged Joanne or from Jaune's older siblings when they were still toddlers._

 _"And why is that dad?" Jaune asked as he gathered the chopped wood in neatly stacked piles._

 _Discarding his white tank top due to the intense summer heat, Jaune revealed his quickly forming body. Several scars were also visible from his time in a nest of King Taijitus as well as his spars with his older sisters. But all were merely fleeting memories of an old dream. Jaune wiped the sweat forming on his face with the back of his hand as he gazed on their estate. Due to their heritage, the knight family of Arc was regarded as one of the old nobles of Remnant as such, they were wealthy enough to maintain the large estate as well as to support their small village when needed. But not as much as the big corporations that now filled the kingdom._

 _"Mainly because every male Arc has a sudden growth spurt once they reach eighteen." Jonathan said as he straightened his tired back._

 _"And that means?" Jaune asked as he poured his attention back to his father._

 _Jonathan grinned at him, the same mischievous smile that at times, his mother and father shared at each other._

 _"Well, why don't you ask your mother for that?" He said as he chuckled._

 _Jaune sighed. "Dad, are you sure you should be saying that to a thirteen year-old boy with raging hormones?"_

 _"Meh, you'll get there anyway so at the very least, I could give you the general overview right?" Jonathan said as he stretched his sore muscles._

 _Jaune face palmed as he muttered disapprovingly. "Dad."_

Jaune felt his eyes become heavy as his weight was distributed to the two maidens beside him. He smiled weakly to himself at the memory.

 _Damn it dad. This feels like a lot of trouble._ He silently said as his mind faded into oblivion.


	12. Chapter 11: The Witch and The Knight

Chapter 11

The Witch and The Knight

 _He ran through a narrow stairway that spiraled upwards. His sword, the Azure Tempestas, a jagged blade with golden hilt and the crest of the Arc family at its pommel felt heavy in his right arm. In contrast to that, his left felt nothing as it dangled lazily to his side. Pair of arrowheads could be seen as it pierced his armor. Crimson flowed from the said wounds as well as an ugly gash on his forehead. His messy blonde hair clung stubbornly to his features as sweat coated his face. He grunted as he reached the final flight._

 _'_ _Finally.' He thought as he bashed the wooden door open._

 _He was greeted by an enormous, fully furnished study. He noted the expensive looking pieces of art that hang on the stoned walls as well as the extensive book collection. He marveled at the leather-bound covers of the works of Augustus Ceasar, Dante Aurelius, William Ackreman and many more, all organized in wooden shelves with artfully crafted carvings. All of which, he assumed to be stolen from many of her raids._

 _"_ _Well, this is most certainly a surprise." He twirled but not fast enough as he was launched onto the nearby cobblestoned wall._

 _"_ _Aghk!" He screamed as his grime filled armor clanged upon contact._

 _He fell onto the wooden floor on all fours. He grunted in pain as he was kicked by the shoulder and sent him leaning on the wall behind him. He winced in pain upon contact, his blue eyes contorted as he clenched his fists. He noticed the lack of his sword and looked at it. His fears were testified by the empty gloved hand._

 _"_ _Why?"_

 _The simple question brought out by a voice he once knew so well made his head snap towards her. What was once a maiden of pure kindness now stood before him in rage. Her once green eyes now exchanged by red with black. Her fair complexion was reduced to that of the dead as red and violet veins ran through the edges of her face and on her exposed arms. The once brown hair that he had loved became a soulless white arranged in intricate ornamentation._

 _"_ _Why damn it!?" She shouted at him, the tower they were on shook with the sheer power of her voice._

 _The Arc knight did not answer as he begrudgingly stood to meet her. The sounds of battle, of men and Grimm alike battling outside were muffled by the thick walls. He tasted rust as he spat out blood to clear his throat._

 _"_ _I never wanted to end it like this, Ce-"_

 _"_ _Don't you dare call me by that name!" The knight's hardened gazed loosened as he stared back at her former lover's angered eyes._

 _They glowed red as she took several strides towards him._

 _"_ _I trusted you! You told me that she would be saved and yet you let her die!"_

 _He did not speak as he foolishly allowed his mind to wander on that fateful day. He looked at her once more as she purposefully walked towards him. Her hands balled into a wicked fist and hatred visibly poured out from her in the form of black mist. Her darkened robes swayed along with his movements. And yet, he did not see the monster that his peopled claimed her to be, he did not see the queen of darkness, the very woman who controlled the creatures of Grimm to invade and attack both humans and Faunus. Who coerced many mortals to her own insane cause._

 _No, what he saw was his wife, twisted and corrupted by the grief and anger of the loss of their only child. He walked forward to meet her head on, only to be met by her hardened fists. He grunted in pain and doubled over. He felt pieces of his armor fall onto the floor as a fracture appeared on its white. She held him by the back of his neck and threw him back onto the wall._

 _"_ _I tried!" He spat back as the anger of being constantly blamed for the death of their child reached its limit._

 _A limit that he had tried to avoid at all cost._

 _"_ _I tried all that I can! But even the most skilled of our healers said th-"_

 _"_ _Then you should've tried harder!" Again, she stormed towards him as she produced a curved dagger from the depths of her robe._

 _Knowing that any possibility of negotiations have long broken down, with a frustrated scream, the knight ran towards her as he attempted to grapple her. She gracefully twirled to the side and dodged the brutish attack. The blonde stumbled as his foot lodged itself onto a small opening on the wooden floor but was able to regain composure. He saw the glint of his sword's blue steel not far from where he was. But before he could even make a run towards it, he was gripped by some unseen force._

 _He looked questioningly at her as he felt the grip slowly tighten. The rivets on his armor were slowly giving way. She approached him, dagger in hand as the knight squirmed._

 _"_ _If only you would've come with me, we could've been a whole family again." As if on cue, a hidden door behind one of her shelves opened._

 _His blue eyes widened at what he saw. First was utter surprise, followed by disbelief, then anger. He glowered at his former wife as he screamed at the top of his lungs._

 _"_ _What in Remnant's name did you do to her Cera!?"_

 _A girl not older than eight stood before them. Her hair was that of her mother's, a fiery red while her eyes were that of his father, a calming blue. She wore a flowing green dress, one that was most obviously fetched a high price in the market. But he knew that it was impossible, he knew as he had watched her slip away from the living world. He felt his eyes water as he slowly but surely broke through the grip that held him._

 _"_ _You…you…dare to desecrate our daughter!" He bellowed as whatever was holding him shatters in a glass like manner._

 _He charged towards the witch, no longer caring for his own safety or his lack of blade. If he was about to die, then so be it but he was determined to bring her with him and to release his daughter from his wife's foolish action. The very least that he, they could do for their daughter was to be damned to eternal torment. He felt the dagger pierce through his jugular as his sharpened gauntlets ripped through her fleshy abdomen._

 _Both gasped in pain as blood flowed profusely from them. He looked into his wife's eyes, stars were evident in her red and he knew that so was his. He silently asked the gods why such cruel fate was handed upon them. As he gazed onto his much beloved wife, a pair of small arms wrapped around them surprising both patriarch and matriarch._

 _"_ _Mama…Papa…please don't fight."_

 _The knight blankly stared at the face of his wife in disbelief. For reasons that a knife protruded from his neck, he could not see the very face that he had thought to have been lost. He listened as the voice of his daughter filtered through him. He could hear her faint sobs that reminded him of painful memories. He refocused his dying sight on that of his wife who was now crying openly, a sad smile on her pale face. She cupped his face as she said her final words and the last words that he would hear._

 _"_ _If only…you listned." He smiled sadly knowing that he had failed as a husband and as a father._

 _With the little strength that he had, he pulled their daughter towards them in one last family embrace._


	13. Chapter 12: Downtime Pt2

Chapter 12

Downtime Pt.2

Jaune bolted up, awake, only to collide with some solid object. He fell back onto his bed as he nursed his forehead.

"Son of Oum, that-"

"hurts." A feminine voice continued.

He slowly opened his eyes and as surprised as he was, he saw his new formed partner sitting right next to him. She had her left hand on her forehead as she rubbed it, her face showed that it was rather painful.

"Morning Pyr-" He was abruptly stopped when he was pulled into an embrace.

Jaune's mouth hung open as his arms fumbled through the air, unsure as to where to put it.

 _Calm down. Remember what dad told you. Wait…never mind. Don't remember._

He aborted the memory as he slightly remembered something obscene that came from his father. He remained in such an awkward state until his red haired partner released him from what could've been his death. He then began to sat up, much to his body's delight.

"You scared us back there." She said as she stared at him.

Confused and disoriented, it took several silent moments of recollection before he remembered. The gears within him started to work, from the big jump at the start of the initiation to the nerve wracking dogfight between him and a Nevermore. He shook his head lightly, partially out of disbelief but mostly due the pounding headache that he was having that seemed to worsen due to the act.

"Yeah. Kind of remember it now." He said sheepishly while rubbing the back of his head.

"Sorry if I gave you the scare."

She smiled at him warmly. He noted that she was no longer in her armor but in the regular Beacon Academy uniform. A white wall was on his left and a red couch could be seen on the far right of the room. He also realized that he was in some sort of ward or clinic. Beeps resounded from the nearby medical apparatus that was connected to him via several cords. To that, he scratched his head.

"Umm…what's with all the cords and what time or day or month is it?"

He watched her stifle a laugh. He smiled as she covered her mouth. Normally, he would've been offended but he knew that his question could arouse some bit of laughs. But he couldn't help it seeing that the first and second time that he had experienced total aura exhaustion left him in a state of comma for at least three months and the next left him in the same state for at least a month. It was one of the many reasons why he was forced by his family to stop his training to become a huntsman and to instead work to maintain their estate and family business.

"Well…" She started as she wiped a tear from her eyes.

"The doctor says that it is to monitor your vitals since you have used up even your reserve aura pool. And as for the time, day and month..." She patted her chin with her index finger as she mocked ponder.

"I'd say it's seven in the evening on a Thursday of the month of June."

Jaune sighed, relieved. It seems like he was only unconscious for at least eight hours or so.

"In the twenty seventh year of the new calendar." Pyrrha added but a lot more serious than before.

He was shocked that he had been unconscious for three years. His mind went into overdrive as he tried to think the many scenarios that might have happened and how Pyrrha still retained her youthfulness of a seventeen year-old despite having three years fly by. Jaune could've sworn that he had seen his ancestors, the warrior king, Roland, the master tactician, Julius which was his great-great grandfather and heck, even the great pacifist, Abraham Arc. Of course, it was accompanied by the flat lines and long extended beeps that emanated from the nearby apparatus.

"Jaune! Jaune! That was just a joke! Snap out of it!" Jaune felt Pyrrha shaking him but the light was calling to him.

 _Grandpa Wash? Is that you?_ He inwardly gasped as he spots another figure who stood beside his long deceased grandfather

 _Grandma Carol?_

His heavenly vision was interrupted when a smack reached his ears. He then noticed that he was facing sideward instead of forward and that a throbbing, hot pain was erupting from his right cheek.

"You awake now little bro?" Jaune was stunned out of his death trance as he turned to look at the indigo eyes of his fellow knight.

"Sheesh, didn't know that the Arcs are so easy to scare." Cardin chided as the rest of his friends entered the room.

"Well…try living in my house with seven sisters, let's see if you could survive without being scared half to death." Jaune retorted as he waved at the newcomers.

Cardin chuckled. "I'll keep that in mind."

He then moved aside to allow the others passage. The first face to come up was that of Ruby's followed by Weiss, Yang then Blake. Nora and Ren maneuvered and placed themselves behind Pyrrha who was still sitting on a stool. Everyone was wearing their uniforms which told him that his was probably sitting inside his locker or in the information booth.

"JauneIsawyouflyearlierhowdidyoudothatwastheresome-" Ruby began to ask multiple questions at once that Jaune had to stop her with an outstretched palm.

"Alright Rubes, one at a time." Jaune pleaded as he chuckled.

Suddenly, he was reminded of the younger twins who seemed to have the same level of enthusiasm. He watched as Ruby breathed slowly and restrained herself.

"We saw you fly earlier then you took on that Nevermore. What was that?" She asked but her want to ask more questions was visible as she literally shook on where she stood.

"That was an aura cinstruct." He started but the raised brows within the room were a sign that they would like to hear the full details.

 _I guess it's safe to tell them anyway._ He told himself.

"My family, the Arcs are known for many things. Among them was their ability to manipulate their aura into actual suits of armor although a bit transparent." He watched them as they listened attentively.

"In my case, I chose to take it up a notch. After years of training, I was able to master the use of my aura to the point that it allows me to project my aura into any solid shape, form or even being. In short, aura constructs."

He heard several 'ohhs' from the group and a whistle from Cardin.

"But there is a condition for it, I can't summon or manifest anything that I haven't seen or have interacted upon." He added.

"The Astral Knight." Everyone in the room looked at Cardin as he leaned on the wall.

"The what?" Yang asked the buffy knight.

"It's an old tale passed down to every generation of knights." He explained to which Jaune nodded in agreement.

He too was told of the said ghostly knight by his father.

"Long story short, a man gets killed in battle, returns as a specter or revenant…" Cardin looked at Jaune for confirmation.

"Revenant...I think."

"Right. Then starts to fight alongside the living ranks of his house but eventually passed on as he was assured the safety of his family." Cardin concluded.

"The story says that the greatest torment for a warrior is that knowing that his duty is unfinished. It serves both as a warning and a motivation for all knights." Jaune added.

"Sooo what does that have to do with Jaune?" Nora spoke up in her usual quirky manner.

"Well, it's just that he has almost the same ability as the said knight, in exception of course to inhabiting the living's bodies." Cardin explained which earned a gulp from both Ruby and Nora.

"Nonetheless, what he did saved us all." Blake said.

"Not to mention catching me when I fell…" Subtle streaks of pink were evident on her cheeks as she maintained her stoic demeanor.

"For that I am grateful to you." She said.

Jaune shook his head saying that he only distracted it long enough for them to deal with the Deathstalker and that it was his duty as a fellow student and as an Arc to help those in need. But Ren rebuked his claim reasoning that he had singlehandedly slayed the giant Nevermore. Their conversation then moved to that of the teaming where he learned that Ruby, Weiss, Blake and Yang were all put into the same team where Ruby was the leader. Cardin on the other hand, was also put into a team alongside his fellow knights in the Winchester family where he was given the task to lead. As such, it came to be a pleasant surprise when he was chosen to be a team leader and on his team were his partner, Pyrrha along with Ren and Nora.

One of Beacon's medical staff entered and told the group that the visiting hours were finished and that all students were to head to their dorms in exception to one who would accompany Jaune. The announcement earned seven groans of disappointment as Cardin, team RWBY and NR were ushered outside. Jaune sighed, relieved that he was spared by Ruby's and Nora's constant probing on his semblance. He then laid back on his bed.

"The doctor says that you'll be discharged tomorrow morning." Pyrrha said as she scooted the stool closer to him.

"That's good, I thought that I'd be forced to spend all four years in this room. That will drive me nuts." He replied which earned a good laugh from her.

An uneasy silence settled between the two. For the first few minutes, both waited for the other to speak but as minutes turned into, possibly hours, they forced themselves to find something worthy of their attention. Pyrrha grabbed a weapons magazine from her bag which she also offered to Jaune. The blonde on the otherhand, began to space out as he stared at the white ceiling above him. Several random thoughts ran around his brain as if a pack of Ursa's trying to search for their next prey.

 _Well…awkward._ He thought to himself as he assessed the situation.

 _Alright, first things first, try to find something that you both had in common. Maybe training? No, that mind end up opening some old wounds or something. Sports? Wait, I barely knew the word. Okay…how about the weather? That's a classic conversation starter. Wait! Bad Jaune! How the heck can I talk about the weather if we're stuck here in a confined space!_

The knight's frantic rant continued as he tried to think of the best source of action. But due to his silent, in depth discussion with his own self, he failed to hear the redhead yawn as she finally feels her fatigue creeping in.

"Jaune?" The blonde turned to face the redhead who was looking at him full of determination.

 _Oh boy, is she mad because I left her to deal with the Deathstalker? But I was practically thrown away. Then again, maybe if I used my semblance then I could've just taken the hit like a pro and ended that scorpion right there and then but the-_

"I have a request."

 _A slap? A punch? A kick?_

"Sure Pyr, fire away." He replied with feigned confidence.

"Can we…ummm…like…"

 _For Oum's sake Pyrrha spit it out! What do you want us to do? Play a deadly hide and seek game with me as hider and you dressed in a hockey mask with a spear? Electrocute me to death just like what Juno did to me when I sat on her school project? It was good that I lived but damn it still gives me the tingles._

"Can we spar again every so often? You seemed like a great _match_ for me so…" She rubbed the back of her head as she averted his gaze.

Jaune sighed internally with relief. Thankful that he won't be forced to receive a few hits from a champion such as her without the right to block or parry. But due to his own mind being occupied, he had not noticed the pink streak on her cheeks.

"Sure! I'd like that too. Plus, we could exchange pointers seeing that you're actually the Minstral regional champion." He said enthusiastically.

She smiled warmly then excused herself to retire on the couch directly opposite to Jaune's bed. He knew it was futile but he tried anyways. He told her to take the bed seeing that he had already recovered and him to take the couch. He was met with great opposition, one that greatly rivaled his mother's. Still, the result was fairly obvious. Jaune was stuck on his bed as he was assaulted by guilt for letting a girl sleep on a lousy sofa.

 _So much for chivalry._ He thought as he slowly forced himself to sleep.

Bonus

Ozpin's hands trembled as he repositioned his monocle. He couldn't believe what he just saw on his data pad. He was in the brink of thrashing out in his office when a small voice within him called reason spoke to him.

 _No, believe in him. You saw potential in him anyway._ The tiny voice told him as he grabbed his mug of, this time, hot coffee.

The mug trembled slightly as he calmed himself through each sip.

"Can we…ummm…like…" Pyrrha Nikos's hesitant voice filtered through the data pad.

The headmaster halted all advances on his coffee as he watched the scene unfold. Everything that he had done, from cheating death in the universe one up to challenging the watchers for him to earn the right to create his own, new universe.

"Can we spar again every so often? You seemed like a great _match_ for me so…" Ozpin watched as she rubbed the back of her head.

He noticed that she constantly tried not to make eye contact with Jaune. The huntress in training was obviously flustered by the lighter shade of red that could be seen on her face. The huntsman gripped the ear of the mug tighter as he hoped that the blonde would finally notice the subtle signs of Miss Nikos's infatuation with him.

"Sure! I'd like that too. Plus, we could exchange pointers seeing that you're actually the Minstral regional champion."

The veteran warrior felt something snap within him as he heard the words roll out of the young knight's mouth. Veins popped out from his forehead as his usual fair complexion slowly turned to red. His coffee spilled onto his desk as the mug that contained it shook wildly in his hand.

Outside of his clock themed office, Glynda walked towards the professor's office. She wore the fanciest dress that she could find in her closet which was a black strapless dress. She held to wine goblets in her right and a bottle of champagne which was at least fifty years old. As she was about to enter the room, the hallway was filled with a very rare sound that resembled the mixed howls of a Beowolf, an Ursa and a Goliath. It was quickly followed by the sound of furniture being thrown about as well as papers being ripped to pieces.

"Damn you Monty! Even in this alternate universe you still play your silly, dense, hard to get games!"

Glynda froze at the sound of Ozpin's enraged voice. She sighed as she decided whether or not it was wise continue. Shaking her head, she began the long once again walk through the desolated halls and back to her personal chambers. There would be no celebration tonight as it seems.

 _Why not let Arkos be?_ The blonde professor silently asked the all-knowing Oum as she shared the grief of her silver haired half.

 **Just updating this pet project of mine. Anyways, Merry Christmas folks!**


End file.
